JAKARTA, 14 April 2023 – The ASEAN Youth Dialogue (AYD) 2023 on Digital Development for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place in Jakarta with 60 youth representatives from ASEAN Member States and Timor-Leste.
The three-day event sought to gather policy recommendations on how to make digital development equitable and inclusive in Southeast Asia towards the achievement of the SDGs. These recommendations will then be conveyed to the ASEAN Leaders at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo on 10 May.
The event kicked off with an opening remark from Indonesia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi who stressed the youth and the digital economy’s critical role in ensuring that the Southeast Asian region continues to be an epicenter of growth. She highlighted the importance of spearheading innovation, advancing the spirit of entrepreneurship, and promoting social responsibility to attain this objective.
Indonesia’s Minister for Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo underlined the ministry’s commitment to support youth in sports, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Indonesia. From a regional perspective, he highlighted the importance of support and collaboration among the youth and other key players to advance the growth of the region.
Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong emphasised the critical need for ASEAN to accelerate the progress of digital integration with the involvement of various actors to ensure deliberate and coordinated actions towards a regionally integrated digital economy.
AYD 2023 featured a series of panel discussions, dialogues, and workshops on various themes such as inclusivity and the youth’s participation in accelerating digital transformation, the dual role of the youth in the implementation of SDGs, and avenues in strengthening the region’s digital ecosystem for youth entrepreneurship. The program also included site visits to Traveloka and Schneider Electric Indonesia to gain a practical understanding of how businesses operate in the digital economy.
Participants joined social networking events that included the ASEAN Halal Food Festival, ASEAN Youth Cultural Performance, and sharing sessions among students with disabilities from Jakarta jointly organised by the Provincial Government of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Badan Amil Zakat Nasional Provinsi DKI Jakarta (National Charity Board-Jakarta) as well as Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Youth and Sports. AYD is one of the flagship events of Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship under the Implementation of ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and is an activity under the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021-2025. The inaugural AYD batch was convened in 2022 as a flagship youth initiative under Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
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