Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia
May 26, 2025

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted the critical role of the ASEAN youth in driving the Region’s future when he delivered his intervention at the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“The youth’s participation in our collective efforts is pivotal in addressing the challenges that lie ahead, as well as harnessing the opportunities to steer our region towards fulfilling our ASEAN vision,” he said.

He added that with the world rapidly changing, driven by technology and other advancements, opportunities have consequences that include misinformation in the technological space, disinformation, online scams, cyberbullying, and potential abuse and misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We must therefore equip our youth with digital resilience — that will enable them to navigate online spaces with a critical lens, and to use technology to amplify their voices and contributions to ASEAN’s regional growth,” the Chief Executive stated.

He cited the Philippines’ initiatives in empowering the youth, including its successful hosting of the ASEAN Youth Climate Action and Disaster Resilience Conference in Manila, to support youth initiatives and encourage their active participation towards taking a unified action, as well as the 14th ASEAN Senior Officials on Youth (SOMY XIV) also held in Manila last April, which empowered regional youth cooperation for sustainable development through the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021–2025.

“Let us continue to create avenues for our young people to flourish with a shared vision for the future of ASEAN while charting the path to a sustainable tomorrow. We must always work together as partners towards a common goal — to uplift and realize the true and ultimate potential of ASEAN for all our peoples,” President Marcos Jr. concluded in his intervention.

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