We expect a massive role from the younger generations in ASEAN to support the sustainability of Southeast Asia as a stable and peaceful regionLabuan Bajo, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expects young people of ASEAN member countries to significantly contribute to maintaining the sustainability of stability and peace in Southeast Asia.
Jokowi made the statement while opening the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth at the 42nd ASEAN Summit here on Wednesday.
"We expect a massive role from the younger generations in ASEAN to support the sustainability of Southeast Asia as a stable and peaceful region, so ASEAN can become an epicentrum of growth, since ASEAN has great capital to achieve it," he remarked.
The president noted that currently, the countries in Southeast Asia experienced favorable economic growth that had been far above the world’s average.
Hence, the youths of ASEAN, who made up around 34 percent of the total population in the region, should prepare the best policies to maximize the existing economic and demographic potentials, he emphasized.
Jokowi officially opened the 42nd ASEAN Summit at the Meruorah Komodo Labuan Bajo Hotel, Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, on Wednesday morning local time.
The president was scheduled to chair all the meetings on Wednesday, including the plenary session of the summit.
Other meetings would be held with the representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN Youth, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC), and High-Level Task Force on the ASEAN Community Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV).
As quoted from the official website of Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2023, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated that members of the younger generations were the ones who would make a difference for the future of the region.
“ASEAN’s future is in your hands,” she remarked at the opening of ASEAN Youth Dialogue (AYD) 2023 on Digital Development for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Jakarta on April 11, 2023.
She also highlighted the importance of bolstering innovation, encouraging entrepreneurship development, and promoting social responsibility to make ASEAN as the epicentrum of growth.
The AYD sought to generate policy recommendations on encouraging an equitable and inclusive digital development throughout Southeast Asia towards the achievement of SDGs.
These recommendations would be conveyed to the ASEAN Leaders at the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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