To Commemorate 30 years of ASEAN-India relationship, the Government of India in collaboration with the India Foundation and the ASEAN Foundation hosted the 4th ASEAN-India Youth Summit from 12 – 15 February in Hyderabad. The theme for the Summit was “Strengthening ASEAN – India Partnership in the Indo-Pacific”.
Around 100 youth from the ASEAN Member States (AMS) and 75 from India gathered to explore new initiatives to enhance ASEAN and India’s physical, economic, digital, and socio-cultural connectivity to strengthen the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The delegates came from diverse backgrounds including politics, media, think tanks, education, business, and science and technology. The Summit encompassed panel discussions on four sub-themes, namely Good Governance & Regional Development, Digital Partnerships for the 21st Century, ASEAN-India Connectivity, and Shared Cultural Ethos and Promotion of People-to-People Ties.
“In realizing the shared goals of the ASEAN and India, it is crucial that the youth, as our current and future leaders, could hone their skills and capabilities for them to contribute to the advancement of peace and prosperity in the region and beyond,” said ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in his virtual message during the opening ceremony. He said the Summit could serve as a platform for the 175 youth leaders “to exchange ideas and perspectives and other important issues facing our world today”.
India’s Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy said that the summit could further explore cooperation in equipping the youth with skills and knowledge in emerging areas such as digital technology and sustainability in economic relations, digital transformation, financial inclusion, climate change and environmental protection. Mr. Alvin Tan, Hon'ble Minister of State for Trade & Industry, and Culture, Community & Youth, the Republic of Singapore, addressed the valedictory session of the Summit virtually.
Mr. Mohit Dave, Head - Partnerships & Resource Mobilisation at ICA-AP participated in the Summit to help create a shared vision for wider regional partnerships across cooperative related issues. He shared that the Asia-Pacific regional office of ICA is based in India and the Business office in an AMS – Malaysia. In 2018, an ICA-AP delegation met with Dr. Aladdin Rillo, the Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN Economic Community. Also, ICA has around 40 members and partners in India and ASEAN countries working across various sectors such as youth & education, financial inclusion, climate change, skills development etc. In the recent past, ICA-AP has contributed to the action plan of the ASEAN roadmap to enhance the role of agricultural cooperatives in the agricultural global value chain.
The confluence of youth leaders from India and the ten ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam led to a shared understanding of the challenges we face and the actions that we need to take to strengthen partnerships in all dimensions within the region.
At the Summit, the delegation of each country was given an opportunity to deliver a presentation showcasing the history, politics, culture, and other noteworthy aspects of their respective country. To encourage peer learning, the delegates participated in group discussions on various topics including governance and politics, cultural and historical linkages, entrepreneurship and skills development. The Summit also offered experiential learning with site visits in Hyderabad, tours, and cultural performances.
This Summit was in line with one of the priorities of the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021-2025 particularly in strengthening collaboration with ASEAN Dialogue Partners in youth exchange programmes to foster outward-looking ASEAN youth in the global community. Three previous editions of the ASEAN-India Youth Summit were held in August 2017 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh; in February 2019 in Guwahati, Assam; and virtually in June 2022. The event is supported by ASEAN and India through the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund and endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Youth (SOMY). ICA-AP would continue its engagements in the ASEAN and see how cooperatives can contribute and support such cross-border initiatives, especially in terms of capacity building, knowledge transfer and outreach.
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