ASEAN Future Forum 2024: ASEAN youth empowered to unleash potential

WVR/VNA - On April 22, in Hanoi, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth on the occasion of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF 2024).
ASEAN Future Forum 2024: ASEAN youth empowered to unleash potential
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and young students at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

At the event, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao acknowledged the transformative impact of youth-led initiatives and youth active engagement in promoting understanding, unity, and progress thus far, and encouraged them to continue their active contributions to ASEAN Community-building.

According to the ASEAN chief, ASEAN had 224.2 million young people in 2020, accounting for about 34% of the total population in the region. Projections indicate that the youth population will peak in 2038, signaling the enormous potential of this demographic segment in shaping the socio-economic landscape and continued growth of ASEAN.

ASEAN Future Forum 2024: ASEAN youth empowered to unleash potential
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and young students. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

The ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the Year of ASEAN Youth to strengthen the role of youth in ASEAN-community building recognised the great role of youth in creating a key driving force for growth.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao congratulated Vietnam over taking proactive steps, leading the ASEAN Plus Youth Volunteer Forum and the ASEAN Plus Youth Volunteer Award. These are very important in promoting volunteer activities among young people, recognising outstanding individual volunteers and youth organisations that make positive contributions to the community.

On this occasion, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao called for actions to focus on promoting the collective strength of youth for regional development. He affirmed that volunteer activities play an important pillar in youth participation, shaping the future of ASEAN.

ASEAN Future Forum 2024: ASEAN youth empowered to unleash potential
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son cut the ribbon to inaugurate the ASEAN Square in the campus of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV). (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Also the same day, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son cut the ribbon to inaugurate the ASEAN Square in the campus of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV).

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(Source: WVR/VNA)