Dr. Kao Kim Hourn serves for the second term as the Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. His professional career has focused on strengthening Cambodia’s international relations particularly in ASEAN, driving policy advocacy, and promoting research, education and development.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn survived the Khmer Rouge genocide, and at the age of 15 he went to the United States, where he eventually received a Doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, two Master’s degrees from Ohio University, and a Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. He returned to Cambodia in January 1993 to run a think-tank dedicated to ASEAN and international affairs and later joined the Royal Government of Cambodia, where he has served in a variety of capacities, including a post as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has authored dozens of books and articles about Cambodia and ASEAN. With the mission of providing education to especially disadvantaged Cambodian youths, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn established The University of Cambodia in 2003, which now boasts almost 20,000 alumni, and continues to serve as the long-standing President today.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has earned several honors, particularly the Royal Order of Cambodia, the Royal Order of Sowathara, and The Grand Order of National Merit, for his services to Cambodia. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Ohio University in 2007 and an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in India in 2014.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn is a Member of the Supreme National Economic Council, a Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, and a Member of the Global Council of The Asia Society. He serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace as well as for the Worldwide Support for Development. He also has acted as a Member of the Standing Committee of the Cambodian Red Cross. He is married with two adult children who live in Phnom Penh.