India assumed the presidency of the G20 in December 2022 and is set to host the G20 Summit in 2023 after year-long deliberations on macroeconomic issues and inter-alia trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, and climate change. Spearheading the G20 at a time when the world looks at a sustained exit from the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, India sees this as an opportunity as well as a responsibility. During its presidency, India aims to leverage the wide and balanced representation of both developed and developing countries that is unique to the G20 for securing global and regional equitable and sustainable growth.
Around 100 youth from ASEAN and India gathered in Hyderabad to explore new initiatives to enhance the connection between ASEAN and India during the 4th ASEAN-India Youth Summit. From 12 to 16 February 2023, young people of diverse backgrounds participated in group discussions and experiential learning, including site visits in Hyderabad, tours, and cultural performances.
The historic Asian-African Conference Building in Bandung, Indonesia, witnessed yet another notable moment on 24 July 2022 when hundreds of G20 Youth Summit (Y20) delegates gathered and declared a joint resolution for a better future. The communiqué was pivotal after a round of events that started earlier in the year.
The ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF) was first held in 2009 in sync with the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. AYF is a youth movement that aims to provide a safe space for young ASEAN people to gather, connect, and build solidarity.
As a young musician, 25-year-old Aliff
Aolani or Airliftz, has witnessed how
the internet could be a double-edged
sword for aspiring artists.
In 2021, an online petition called #LindungiKurir, revealed troubling work conditions of Indonesian couriers. It quickly went viral. The petition stated that these platform workers were often verbally and physically threatened by Cash On Delivery (COD) customers while receiving only 2,000 Indonesian rupiah (less than a quarter of a dollar) for each package delivered to customers’ doorsteps.
On Instagram @earthtodorcas, Dorcas Tang Wen Yu creates stories and advocates for a better world through her illustrations and poems. Her activism brought her to Egypt to attend the United Nations Conference of Youth (COY) 17, which was held on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference/Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2022. Dorcas was one of the youth representatives who gathered from around the world to discuss urgent action to fight climate change.
Dorcas’ illustration is featured on the cover of this issue. She talks to The ASEAN about her passion for the environment—using her art to inspire action, and working for a better future even when it feels there is little hope for change.
The new age of digitalisation has redefined and significantly widened access to information for many citizens in the ASEAN region. However, the threat of misinformation and disinformation is also an increasing concern in the digital landscape. In response, Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, supported the ASEAN Foundation with a grant of 1.5 million US dollars to run the ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme (ASEAN DLP) from 2022-2024.
6 months—6 themes—90 youth: A contribution to ASEAN-EU relations
It is no coincidence that both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU), two of the world’s most advanced examples of regional integration, celebrated 2022 as the “Year of Youth.”
