ASEAN young leaders hope for region’s peace

CEBU, Philippines - An American diplomat believes that the talented young leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will propel the region to new heights and will continue to forge peace within Asia.  

"You will triumph over intolerance, holding violent extremism at bay. You will work to ensure that women and disadvantaged populations have equal opportunity. You will pull millions more out of poverty through strong economic growth, stimulated by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and through creative programs like the ones some of you are creating," said US Ambassador to ASEAN Nina Hachigan during her speech the other night at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiatives in Lapu-Lapu City.

Under the AEC of the future, Hachigan said  ASEAN economies will be highly integrated, relying on each other for markets and suppliers,  students will be free to travel throughout the region to get an education, and foreign investment will continue to help create jobs, provide training and other technology.

At the same time, she said that ASEAN leaders will work hard to make the water cleaner, the sky over big cities bluer and healthier citizens.

She said the next generation will continue to convene all the powers in Asia at the ASEAN table to talk through common challenges and differences.

"So I think the best days for ASEAN and the U.S. - ASEAN relationship are still ahead. And that's because of you and the change you will create," she said

Research shows that many young people have a strong desire to engage actively with their communities but do not understand how decisions in society are made.

She said that when young people have more involvement in decision-making processes they can emerge with more self-esteem, better communication skills, better knowledge about their communities and more effective leadership strategies.

YSEALI is the U.S. government's signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia.

YSEALI with 100,000 members in 10 ASEAN countries seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community of leaders who can work across borders to address common challenges.

At least 100 young non-governmental organization leaders representing more than 75 organizations across the ASEAN region convened in Cebu for the YSEALI's   Generation: Go NGO! workshop from November 16 to 19, 2016.

The four-day workshop is funded by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines in partnership with Cultural Vistas.

It brings together non-profit leaders from all ten ASEAN nations to learn how to strengthen their organizations, craft their messages, broaden their support and achieve greater impact. (FREEMAN)