Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (first left) attends the dialogue between ASEAN leaders and youths in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 10. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – TheASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024), which will take place in Hanoi on April 23,is expected to create a platform for stakeholders to contribute ideas andinitiatives on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s future vision, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs DoHung Viet has said.
This is a forum exclusively forASEAN, of ASEAN, and for its people, where all stakeholders will share new initiatives to help ASEAN leaders devise strategies and visions for the group in the comingtime, helping to bring practical benefits to people, he saidin an interview granted to the press.
Nearly400 delegates have registered to take part in the forum, Viet said, noting that government leaders and ministers from ASEAN countries are scheduled to deliver speeches. They include Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, PrimeMinister Sonexay Siphandone of Laos - ASEAN Chair 2024, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.
UnitedNations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Malaysian Prime Minister AnwarIbrahim, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will send pre-recorded messages to the forum.
Many leading regional andinternational scholars have also confirmed their attendance, including formerIndonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa and former Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet. (Photo: VNA) A summary of opinions to be raised at the forum will be sent to ASEAN high-ranking leaders through official channels. The bloc's proposals are also expected to be forwarded to the UN as one of its contributions to preparations for the UN Summit of the Future in September.
In addition to plenarysessions, there will be a business session on how to optimise development opportunities amidst the current digital transformation. It will be co-chaired by PM Chinh and his Lao counterpart Sonexay, with the participation experts and enterprises of Vietnam, ASEAN and partner countries.
Viet said the session will offer a chancefor businesses to look into advantages, difficulties and opportunities in the context of digital transformation, and build new networks.
The official stressed that rapid, sustainable and people-centred development is anissue of common concern of the world and all ASEAN countries. This is a basicand essential need of ASEAN given many economic difficulties as well as non-traditionalsecurity challenges such as climate change, natural disasters or epidemics, and supply chain disruptions.
To this end, the forum willexamine how to harmonise between development and environmental protection and climate change response, to ensure social security, as well as to place people atthe centre of all development-related decisions of each country and the regionas a whole.
As one of the biggest multilateral diplomatic events hosted by Vietnam this year, the forum once again demonstrates Vietnam's desire tocontribute more to regional cooperation and promote its core rolein regional and international collaboration, he said./.
