Kao Kim Hourn

After the Cambodian Civil War, the Khmer Rouge seized power and committed the Cambodian genocide.{{cite web|title=Khmer Rouge History|url=http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/history/cambodian-history/khmer-rouge-history/|website=Khmer Rouge History|publisher=Cambodia Tribunal Monitor|access-date=15 March 2016}} Kao received very little formal education during his childhood due to the unstable and violent conditions in Cambodia at the time. His family was granted refugee status in 1981, and eventually relocated to Herndon, Virginia. There, Kao enrolled in high school. He was 16 years old at the time and had very little educational experience and no English training. However, he was quite successful and graduated with a high school diploma with scholastic excellence three years later, in 1985. He then attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he did his B.A. in Asian studies. He received a National Fellowship Scholarship to Ohio University in Athens for his master's degree program. And in 1991, he graduated with two master's degrees - one in political science and the other in international affairs. Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. He received an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Public Service from Ohio University in 2007,{{cite web|title=Curriculum Vitae|url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/ucb/profile/18/71/|website=The University of Cambodia|access-date=2 August 2016}} as well as another Honorary Doctoral Degree in Literature from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT University) of India in 2014.{{cite web|title=Dr. Kao Kim Hourn Receives the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University|url=http://uc.edu.kh/ucb/Dr.%20Kao%20Kim%20Hourn%20Receives%20the%20Kalinga%20Insitute%20of%20Industrial%20Technology%20University/2014-02-18%2001:50:12/1476/|website=The University of Cambodia|access-date=2 August 2016}} In June 2023, Kao was conferred an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Political Science from Busan University of Foreign Studies, South Korea.{{Cite web |title=Secretary-General of ASEAN receives Honorary Doctorate from Busan University of Foreign Studies|url=https://asean.org/secretary-general-of-asean-receives-honorary-doctorate-from-busan-university-of-foreign-studies/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=asean.}} He was also conferred the honorary title of Guest Professor by Zhengzhou University in recognition of his achievements in the field of political science and international affairs in October 2023.{{Cite web |title=Zhengzhou University confers honorary title to Secretary-General of ASEAN|url=https://asean.org/zhengzhou-university-confers-honorary-title-to-secretary-general-of-asean/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=asean.}}

He was appointed as director of the Khmer International Relations Institute, and held that office from 1993 to 1994. During his time as director, he developed the Cambodia Public Accountability and Transparency project (CPAT) with funding support from the Asia Foundation. The project, one of the first counter-corruption projects in the nation, did not receive sufficient funding, and thus could not produce significant results. The project was later transformed into the Center for Social Development (CSD){{Cite web |title=CSD |url=http://www.csdcambodia.org |access-date=2016-07-29 |website=csdcambodia.}} when Kao became Director of the think-tank, the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), launched earlier by His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sirivudh in cooperation with the German Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (Phnom Phenh Post 09. September 1994).{{Cite book|title=The 2nd ASEAN Charter|last=Siddique|first=Sharon. Sree Kumar|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|year=2003|isbn=981-230-233-6|location=Singapore|pages=597}}

Kao worked as CICP's first executive director for 10 years, until 2004, though he has remained as a Member of the Board of Directors.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://uc.edu.kh/uct/profile/18/ |access-date=2016-07-28 |website=uc education Cambodia}}{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.cicp.org.kh/sub/About%20CICP/2/15|website=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|access-date=2 August 2016|archive-date=7 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807085107/http://www.cicp.org.kh/sub/About%20CICP/2/15|url-status=dead}} The CICP helped support Cambodia in becoming a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1999, the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies and the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (CSCAP) during Kao's tenure. He has published many books on ASEAN and Cambodian-ASEAN relations,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wae6AAAAIAAJ|title=ASEAN, the lessons of enlargement: a new member's perspective|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Peace|first2=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and|date=1999-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVS2AAAAIAAJ|title=Dynamo Or Dynamite?: Cambodia's Future in ASEAN|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Kaplan|first2=Jeffrey A.|date=1999-01-01|publisher=Asean Academic Press|isbn=9781901919196|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_AWeV7VNi8C|title=The Making of the ASEAN Charter|last1=Manalo|first1=Rosario G.|last2=Woon|first2=Walter C. M.|date=2009-01-01|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=9789812833914|language=en}} and gained significant experience in ASEAN through the activities of the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies. His time at CICP also involved significant interactions with the Royal Government of Cambodia, as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Kao served as Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Royal Government of Cambodia from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2001 to 2004 with the rank of Undersecretary of State.{{cite web|title=Archive of His Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn|url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/ucb/profile/18/71/|website=The University of Cambodia|access-date=2 August 2016}} He also became a member of the Supreme National Economic Council with the rank of minister when SNEC was founded in 1999 and has been a member since then.

In 2003, Kao founded The University of Cambodia (UC).{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://uc.edu.kh/ucb/general/2/2/ |access-date=2016-08-03 |website=uc education Cambodia}} Kao was inspired to create a Cambodian higher education institution modeled in a similar way to the United States that focuses on developing students' critical thinking and problem solving skills. He now serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The University of Cambodia has also established two think-tanks under the leadership of Kao: the Asia Economic Forum (AEF){{Cite web |title=Welcome to Asia Economic Forum (AEF) |url=http://www.aef.org.kh/aef/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702202552/http://www.aef.org.kh/aef/ |archive-date=2016-07-02 |access-date=2016-08-03 |website=aef Cambodia}} and the Asia Faiths Development Dialogue {{Cite web |title=Asia Faiths Development Dialogue (AFDD) |url=http://afdd.org.kh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911163203/http://afdd.org.kh/ |archive-date=2016-09-11 |access-date=2016-08-03 |website=afdd Cambodia}} both of which fall under the umbrella of the university.{{Cite web|url=http://uc.edu.kh/11th_annual_graduation/program/Program-11th%20Graduation%202015%20(ENG)%2028-Dec-15-final2.pdf|title=The University of Cambodia Graduation Program|date=15 December 2015|website=The University of Cambodia|publisher=UC press|access-date=3 August 2016}}

Kao is a founding committee member, and vice-chairman of AEF, which was established by UC in May 2005.{{Cite web |title=Committee Members |url=http://www.aef.org.kh/aef/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=37 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306105217/http://www.aef.org.kh/aef/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=37 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |access-date=2016-08-03 |website=aef Cambodia}} AEF is a think-tank promoting policy dialogue around major issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. AEF has generally been held on an annual basis in Phnom Penh.

Kao is also the Secretary General of the Asian Faiths Development Dialogue (AFDD), which was founded by Dr. Haruhisa Handa in December 2006. The purpose of AFDD is to enhance dialogue between different faith groups, and bring faith communities together to achieve humanitarian and development aims.

In 2004, he was appointed as Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation a position he held until 2013.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://uc.edu.kh/uct/profile/18/ |access-date=2016-08-04 |website=uc education Cambodia}} During his tenure as Secretary of State, Kao worked extensively with ASEAN, developing relationships and managing Cambodia's participation in the organization's many mechanisms. As such, he was a key player in the development and negotiation of the ASEAN Charter, as the Cambodian representative to the ASEAN High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter.{{Cite web|url=http://www.asean.org/storage/images/archive/ACP-Bio-HLTF.pdf|title=Biographies of the High Level Task Force on Drafting the ASEAN Charter|date=December 2007|website=ASEAN.org|publisher=ASEAN|access-date=4 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817211431/http://www.asean.org/storage/images/archive/ACP-Bio-HLTF.pdf|url-status=dead}} In addition to ASEAN, Kao was also responsible for the ASEAN Plus Three, the ASEAN Plus One mechanisms, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), as well as the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)

Since 2006, Kao has served as the Vice Chairman for the Advisory Board of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia at the Office of the Council of Ministers.

In 2007, South East Asia Television and South East Asia Radio, popularly known as SEATV, were established by Kao, Headquartered in UC's Phnom Penh campus,{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/ucb/general/2/1869/ |access-date=2016-08-04 |website=uc education Cambodia}}

He has also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Cambodian Red Cross for two five year terms, from 2008 to 2018. He was Alternative Member for Cambodia's National Representation for the ASEAN Political-Security Council from August 2009 to September 2013, as well as Secretary-General of the ASEAN National Secretariat of Cambodia from 2004 to 2013.

In 2013, he was promoted to the position of Minister Delegate Attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, in charge of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN. {{cite web|title=Directors – H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn|url=http://en.wsd.or.jp/profile/he-kao-kim-hourn-director|website=Worldwide Support for Development}} From October 2016 to May 2017, he served as the vice chairman of Cambodia's Inter-Ministerial Committee for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2017. He currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia and is also a Member of the Global Council of The Asia Society. In 2018, he was appointed to serve on the Board of the Cambodian Higher Education Association (CHEA) as both the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Dissemination Affairs Committee.{{cite web |title=Press Release on the Appointment of Dr. Kao Kim Hourn to the Board of the Cambodian Higher Education Association (CHEA) |url=http://uc.edu.kh/ucs/press/21/3052/ |website=The University of Cambodia |access-date=6 July 2018}} In September 2018, he was reappointed for a second term as Minister Delegate Attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia in charge of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN, from 2018-2023.

In August 2022, Kao was appointed as the next Secretary-General of ASEAN at the plenary session of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and it is the first time a Cambodian will have held the post.{{Cite web|url=http://m.en.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en/localnews/14791-2019-07-29-09-29-07.html|title=Cambodia Nominate Delegate Minister Kao Kim Hourn as ASEAN Secretary-General in 2023 Term (Video inside)|last=Robin|website=FRESH NEWS|date=29 July 2019 |language=en-gb|access-date=2020-03-12}} In November 2022 at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, all ASEAN leaders supported his appointment.{{Cite web |last=chivorn |title=ASEAN Leaders Support the Appointment of Cambodian Delegate Minister Kao Kim Hourn as ASEAN Secretary General (Video inside) |url=https://m.en.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en/localnews/32912-2022-11-11-14-28-35.html |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=FRESH NEWS |date=11 November 2022 |language=en-gb}}

On 9 January 2023, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn officially assumed the position of ASEAN Secretary-General,{{Cite web |title=H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn Officially Assumes Position of ASEAN SG |url=https://www.information.gov.kh/articles/95203 |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=}} during a ceremony presided over by Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Kao was born in 1966 in Koh Sotin District in Kampong Cham province in Cambodia.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/ucb/profile/18/71/ |access-date=2016-08-08 |website=uc education Cambodia}} His father was a school teacher throughout his life, except during the Khmer Rouge period when education was outlawed and teachers were targeted and killed. Due to the incredibly violent conditions in the nation,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-10684399|title=Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime – BBC News|work=BBC News |date=19 July 2010 |language=en-GB|access-date=2016-08-08}} he and his family spent time living in refugee camps on the Cambodian-Thai border after the Khmer Rouge were removed from power in 1979, and they eventually relocated to the United States as refugees.

• Perspectives of A Cambodia Development for Peace in the Context of Southeast Asian Integration (1995) [Khmer and English]{{Cite book|title=Perspectives of A Cambodia Development for Peace in the Context of Southeast Asian Integration|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|year=1995|location=CDRI Library – Phnom Penh, Cambodia}}
• Cambodia in ASEAN (1995) [English]{{Cite book|title=Cambodia in ASEAN|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|publisher=Cambodian Institute of Cooperation and Peace|year=1995|location=Center for Khmer Studies, Siem Reap, Cambodia}}
• Peace from the Heart (1996) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]{{Cite web |title=វិទ្យាស្ថានខ្មែរសំរាប់សហប្រតិបត្តិការនិងសន្តិភាព |url=http://www.cicp.org.kh/sub/Publications/4/32 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805052401/http://www.cicp.org.kh/sub/Publications/4/32 |archive-date=2016-08-05 |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=cicp Cambodia}}
• Peace and Cooperation: Alternative Paradigms (1997) with Din Merican [English]{{Cite book|url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3119108|title=Peace and cooperation : alternative paradigms / edited by Kao Kim Hourn, Din Merican|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Din Merican|last3=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh}}
• ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Implications and Future Directions (1997) with Sarah Kanter [English]{{Cite book|url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3549548|title=Dialogue on AFTA : Lessons for Cambodia / edited by Kao Kim Hourn, Sarah Kanter|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Sarah Kanter|last3=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh}}
• Women's Political Voice in ASEAN: Sharing a Vision (1997) with Norbert von Hofmann [English]{{Cite book|url=http://koha.library.tu.ac.th/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=412126&query_desc=pb%253AASEAN%252C|title=Women's political voice in Asean: sharing a common vision|date=1999-01-01|publisher=ASEAN Academic Press|isbn=1901919153|editor-last=Kao|editor-first=Kim Hourn|location=London|editor-last2=Hofmann|editor-first2=Norbert von|archive-date=2017-09-09|access-date=2016-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909233909/https://koha.library.tu.ac.th/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=412126&query_desc=pb%253AASEAN%252C|url-status=dead}}
• Cambodian Approach to Conflict Resolution (1998) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]{{Cite web|url=http://aseanregionalforum.asean.org/files/Contact/Register%2520of%2520ARF%2520EEPs%2520(as%2520at%252001%2520November%25202013).pdf|title=Home Member Services|website=aseanregionalforum.asean.org|access-date=2016-08-13}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Skepticism, Outrage, Hope: Reactions to the Death of Pol Pot (1998) with Tania Theriault [English]{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OV-4GAAACAAJ|title=Skepticism, Outrage, Hope: Reactions to the Death of Pol Pot|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|language=en}}
• ASEAN A to Z: A Lexicon of ASEAN-Related Terminology (1998){{Cite web|url=http://aseanwatch.org/2012/10/29/cambodian-institute-for-cooperation-and-peace-cicp/|title=งานเขียนและงานวิจัยเกี่ยวกับอาเซียนจากฐานข้อมูล Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) {{!}} ASEAN Watch|access-date=2016-08-13}}
• Cambodia's Future in ASEAN: Dynamo or Dynamite? (1998) with Jeffrey A. Kaplan [English]{{Cite book|url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1309915|title=Cambodia's future in ASEAN : dynamo or dynamite? / edited by Kao Kim Hourn, Jeffrey A. Kaplan|last1=ASEAN|last2=Kao|first2=Kim Hourn|last3=Kaplan|first3=Jeffrey A.|last4=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|year=1999|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|isbn=1901919196|location=Phnom Penh, Cambodia}}
• National Elections: Cambodia's Experiences and Expectations (1998) with Norbert von Hofmann [English]{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007257529|title=National elections: Cambodia's experiences & expectations|last1=Hofmann|first1=Norbert von|last2=Kao|first2=Kim Hourn|last3=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|date=1998-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh}}
• Cambodia and the International Community: The Quest for Peace, Development, and Democracy (1998){{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/uct/profile/18/ |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=uc education Cambodia}}
• Principles Under Pressure: Cambodia and ASEAN's Non-Interference Policy (1999) with Jeffrey A. Kaplan [English]{{Cite web |last=bibliopolis |title=Principles Under Pressure: Cambodia and ASEAN's Non-Interference Policy by Kao Kim Hourn and Jeffrey A. Kaplan on Asia Bookroom |url=http://www.asiabookroom.com/pages/books/153150/kao-kim-and-jeffrey-a-kaplan-hourn/principles-under-pressure-cambodia-and-aseans-non-interference-policy |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=Asia Bookroom}}
• Shared Leadership and Trust Building in Cambodia: Learning from the Past, Sharing Experiences, Views and Visions, and Drawing Lesson for the Future (1999) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer and English]{{Cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/1104516|title=An Investigation of Conflict Management in Cambodian Villages|work=A Review of Literature with Suggestions for Future … |date=January 2001 |access-date=2016-08-13 |last1=Hughes |first1=Caroline }}
• Grassroots Democracy in Cambodia: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects (1999) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer and English]{{Cite book|title=Grassroots Democracy in Cambodia: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|year=1999|location=Center for Khmer Studies, Siem Reap, Cambodia}}
• ASEAN 10 is Born: Commemorating Cambodia's Entry into ASEAN (1999) [English]{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007257522|title=ASEAN-10 is born: commemorating Cambodia's entry into ASEAN|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|date=1999-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia}}
• Banking on Knowledge: The Genesis of the Global Development Network, "The challenges of intervention for Cambodian think tanks" (2000) [English]
• The Greater Mekong Sub region and ASEAN from Backwaters to Headwaters (2000) with Jeffrey A. Kaplan [English]{{Cite book|url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2669520|title=The greater Mekong Subregion and ASEAN : from backwaters to headwaters / edited by Kao Kim Hourn and Jeffrey A. Kaplan|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Kaplan|first2=Jeffrey A.|last3=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|date=2000-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh}}
• Cambodia in the New Millennium: Managing the Past and Building the Future (2000) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]
• Emerging Civil Society in Cambodia: Promotion of Human Rights and Advancement of Democracy (2001) with Samraing Kamsan and Luy Chanphal [Khmer]{{Cite book|title=Emerging Civil Society in Cambodia: Promotion of Human Rights and Advancement of Democracy|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|year=2001}}
• ASEAN A to Z: A Lexicon of ASEAN-Related Terminology, 2nd Edition (2001)
• Building Civil Society for Good Governance in Cambodia: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects (2001) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]
• The Role and Function of Cambodian Parliament: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects (2001) with Van Buntheth and Luy Chanphal [Khmer]{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52929742|title=Mukhnādī niṅ kārprabrẏttdau nai Sabhā Kambujā: samiddhiphal, kārprajhammukh, niṅ dassanavisăy dau qanāgat = The role and function of Cambodian Parliament : achievements, challenges, and prospects|date=2001-01-01|publisher=Vidyāsthān Khmaer saṃrâp Sahapratipattikār niṅ Santibhāb|editor-last=Kao|editor-first=Kim Hourn|location=Bhnaṃ Beñ|oclc = 52929742|editor-last2=Vʺân|editor-first2=Púnthet|editor-last3=Luy|editor-first3=Căndphal|editor-last4=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace}}
• Cambodia's Foreign Policy and ASEAN: from non-alignment to engagement (2002) [English]{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50688543|title=Cambodia's foreign policy and ASEAN: from nonalignment to engagement|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace : Friedrich Ebert Stiftung|location=Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia|oclc=50688543}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=v4puAAAAMAAJ Google books]
• Whispering in the Ears of Power: The Role of ASEAN Track-Two Diplomacy (2002) [English]{{Cite web |title=Whispering in the ears of power : the role of ASEAN track-two diplomacy in SearchWorks |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/5871480 |access-date=2016-08-15 |website=searchworks stanford education}}
• Communal Council Elections and Grassroots Democracy in Cambodia (2002) with Samraing Kamsan and Inn Tong Ann [Khmer]
• Civil-Military Relations in Cambodia: Issues, Challenges and Prospects (2002) [Khmer and English]{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LZxkNAAACAAJ|title=Civil-military Relations in Cambodia: Issues, Challenges and Prospects|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|language=en}}
• Strengthening Civil Society-Government Partnership for Good Governance and Development in the Public Sector in Cambodia: Achievements, Challenges and Future Directions (2002) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/61453137|title=Kārbanrynbhāb chā tǣ khūran sangam sivil nin rājratthabhipal tœ̄mlī qabhipalkicc lqō̜ nin kārqabhivaddhn lœ̄ visai sādharana nau Kambūjā: samitdon kārprajhammuk nin dassanavisai nau ʻqanāgat = Strengthening civil society government partnership for good governance and development in the public sector in Cambodia : achievements, challenges and future direction|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Saṃrāṃṅ Kaṃsānt|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Cambodia Institute for Cooperation and Peace with the support of Heinrich Boll Foundation|location=Phnom Penh|oclc = 61453137}}
• Elections in Cambodia: Lessons Learned and Future Directions (2002) [Khmer and English]{{Cite web|url=http://www.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex?mEntry=45315|title=Mary Martin Booksellers – Elections in Cambodia : Lesson... – Kao, Kim Hourn [Ed]|website=www.marymartin.com|access-date=2016-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822181032/http://www.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex?mEntry=45315|archive-date=2016-08-22|url-status=dead}}
• Sustainable Development, Poverty Reduction and Good Governance in Cambodia (2002) with Chap Soptharith [Khmer]
• Military Reform in Cambodia: Demobilization and Reintegration (2002) with Inn Tong Ann [Khmer]{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/223505737|title=Military reform, demobilization and reintegration: measures for improving military reform and demobilization in Cambodia|last1=Kao|first1=Kim Hourn|last2=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|location=Phnom Penh|oclc=223505737}}
• Strengthening Civil Society-Parliament Partnership for Good Governance in Cambodia: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects (2003) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer]{{Cite web|url=http://asiasociety.org/cambodian-civil-society-challenges-and-prospects|title=Cambodian Civil Society: Challenges and Prospects|website=Asia Society|access-date=2016-08-15}}
• Legislative Review and Development in Cambodia in the Last Ten Years: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects (2004) with Samraing Kamsan [Khmer and English]{{Cite book|title=Legislative Review and Development in Cambodia in the Last Ten Years: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects|last=Kao|first=Kim Hourn|publisher=Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace|year=2004|location=CDRI Library, Phnom Penh, Cambodia}}
• The Making of the ASEAN Charter, "A Personal Reflection" (2009) by Tommy Koh (2009) [English]{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_AWeV7VNi8C|title=The Making of the ASEAN Charter|last1=Manalo|first1=Rosario G.|last2=Woon|first2=Walter C. M.|date=2009|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=9789812833914|language=en}}

• “Specially Invited Professor” by Hiroshima University, Japan (2024){{Cite web |title=Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers special lecture at the Hiroshima University and receives title of “Specially Invited Professor” |url=https://asean.org/secretary-general-of-asean-delivers-special-lecture-at-the-hiroshima-university-and-receives-title-of-specially-invited-professor/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=asean.org}}
• Honourable Member of the International Advisory Board of the Institute of ASEAN Studies at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom (2023){{Cite web |title=Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers lecture at University of Oxford |url=https://asean.org/secretary-general-of-asean-delivers-lecture-at-university-of-oxford/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=asean.}}{{Cite web |title=The Future of ASEAN: Challenges and Opportunities Beyond 2025 |url=https://www.area-studies.ox.ac.uk/event/the-future-of-asean-challenges-and-opportunities-beyond-2025 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=area-studies ox ac United Kingdom |language=en}}
• Guest Professor by Zhengzhou University, China (2023){{Cite web |title=Zhengzhou University confers honorary title to Secretary-General of ASEAN|url=https://asean.org/zhengzhou-university-confers-honorary-title-to-secretary-general-of-asean/ |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=asean.}}
• Honorary Doctoral Degree in Political Science from Busan University of Foreign Studies, South Korea (2023){{Cite web |title=Secretary-General of ASEAN receives Honorary Doctorate from Busan University of Foreign Studies|url=https://asean.org/secretary-general-of-asean-receives-honorary-doctorate-from-busan-university-of-foreign-studies/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=asean.}}
• Grand Order of National Merit (2015), Cambodia
• Honorary Doctoral Degree in Literature, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, India (2014){{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://uc.edu.kh/ucb/Dr.%2520Kao%2520Kim%2520Hourn%2520Receives%2520the%2520Kalinga%2520Insitute%2520of%2520Industrial%2520Technology%2520University/2014-02-18%252001:50:12/1476/ |access-date=2020-02-26 |website=uc education Cambodia}}
• Honorary Doctoral Degree of Public Service, Ohio University, U.S.A. (2007){{Cite web |title=Ohio University Outlook |url=https://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/june/712n-067.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919070116/https://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/june/712n-067.cfm |archive-date=2016-09-19 |access-date=2020-02-26 |website=ohio education}}
• Royal Order of Cambodia, Grand Cross (2013)
• Royal Order of Sowathara, Grand Officer (2007), Cambodia{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC) |url=http://www.uc.edu.kh/ucb/profile/18/71/ |access-date=2020-02-26 |website=uc education Cambodia}}
• Royal Order of Cambodia, Grand Officer (2007)
• Royal Order of Monisaraphon, Commander (2006), Cambodia
• Royal Order of Monisaraphon, Chevalier (2003), Cambodia
• Royal Order of Monisaraphon, Officer (2003), Cambodia

{{Reflist}}

{{Current ASEAN Leaders}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kao, Kim Hourn}}

Category:1966 births

Category:Cambodian academics

Category:Government ministers of Cambodia

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon

Category:Ohio University alumni

Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni

Category:Baylor University alumni