International Press Conference on ASEAN Future Forum 2024

The ASEAN Future Forum is one of the major multilateral events that Vietnam will host in 2024, carrying the message that Vietnam wishes to proactively and positively contribute to shaping the future and new developments of ASEAN in the coming time. Organizing the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 is of great significance in Vietnam's overall foreign policy and diplomacy , especially in implementing the multilateral foreign policy outlined at the 13th National Party Congress.

Attending and chairing the press conference were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, Director of the Press and Information Department Pham Thu Hang, and Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy Pham Lan Dung.

On the afternoon of April 1, at the Diplomatic Academy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an international press conference on the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 - an initiative proposed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh . Attending and chairing the press conference were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, Director of the Press and Information Department Pham Thu Hang, and Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy Pham Lan Dung.

Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet said that the initiative to organize the ASEAN Future Forum was announced by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 43rd ASEAN Summit (Jakarta, Indonesia, September 2023). This is Vietnam's idea with the desire to contribute with member countries, friends, partners of ASEAN and all classes of ASEAN people to promote the shaping of the future development path for ASEAN. This year's forum was held on April 23 in Hanoi, on a large scale with the participation of 200-300 delegates attending in person and online.

After nearly 6 decades of existence and development, ASEAN is preparing to enter a new stage of development, after completing the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, in the context of the world and the region changing rapidly and complicatedly, posing many opportunities and chances, along with significant challenges. ASEAN countries themselves are also facing many different choices in development strategies as well as visions for ASEAN, the region and the world.

According to Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet, the new situation raises many big questions for ASEAN now and in the future: How to maintain its central role and adapt to changes in the region and the world? How can ASEAN adapt, balance and harmonize the interests of its members as well as between ASEAN and its partner countries? How can we achieve a balance between the process of innovation, development and preservation of ASEAN's core values? How can ASEAN develop rapidly, create increasing prosperity, but at the same time ensure the sustainability of development, with people at the center of that process?

In such a context, the idea of organizing the ASEAN Future Forum is part of the efforts of Vietnam and ASEAN countries to create a forum to discuss and seek answers to the above questions.

The theme of this year's Forum is "Building a fast-growing, sustainable, people-centered ASEAN Community"

Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet informed that the Forum will be held in an open format, with the participation of both government representatives and other agencies; expecting the Forum to create a framework for regional and non-regional stakeholders to come together to provide ideas and initiatives for the process of building the ASEAN vision to 2045 and implementing the vision in the coming time; representing the voice and contribution of the region to the effort to orient the future development of the world through the United Nations Future Summit, scheduled to be held in September. This is also Vietnam's specific contribution to the common effort towards building a people-centered ASEAN community, promoting the rapid and sustainable development of ASEAN.

The theme of this year’s Forum is “Building a fast-growing, sustainable, people-centered ASEAN Community”. Therefore, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet said that the theme reflects the current major concerns of the Vietnamese Government as well as the common concerns of ASEAN and countries around the world closely linked to the development orientation of ASEAN and Vietnam, especially promoting sustainable economic growth, “people-oriented” and “people-centered”.

According to Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet, the topic was directly raised by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and has been given great attention and promotion in recent times. It is expected that the Head of Government will deliver a keynote speech at the opening session of the Forum with the Lao Prime Minister in his capacity as ASEAN Chair 2024 and ASEAN Secretary General. In addition, there will be recorded messages from the UN Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Malaysia - the ASEAN Chair 2025 - at the opening session.

Answering reporters' questions about expectations for the Forum in the second part of the Press Conference, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet hoped that the ASEAN Future Forum would be the first event, opening a series of Forums that will be held annually in the coming time.

The Deputy Minister expected that the Forum would bring together a large number of high-level representatives from ASEAN members and partners, and from all sectors to exchange and assess the situation. From there, there will be more new creative and innovative ideas to contribute to the official discussion process within the framework of ASEAN and ASEAN with partners.

“ASEAN has many different mechanisms ranging from high-level to ministerial and sectoral levels. With an open forum like the ASEAN Future Forum, I hope ASEAN will have many new ideas to shape the future of the Association,” Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized.

Assessing the difference between the ASEAN Future Forum and other forums and conferences within the framework of ASEAN cooperation, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet said that the biggest highlight of the Forum is the participation of all sectors in ASEAN. With the message of “taking people as the center”, Vietnam’s organization of the Forum is open, creating conditions for all sectors to participate and contribute ideas.

The dialogue between the ASEAN Secretary-General and the youth will provide an opportunity to grasp the aspirations of this indispensable force in the future of ASEAN, thereby ensuring the best future for ASEAN.

Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet affirmed that the ASEAN Future Forum is one of the major multilateral events that Vietnam will organize in 2024, carrying the message that Vietnam wishes to proactively and positively contribute to shaping the future and new development steps of ASEAN in the coming time. Organizing the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 is of great significance in Vietnam's overall foreign policy and diplomacy, especially in implementing the multilateral foreign policy outlined at the 13th National Party Congress.

“The forum is an initiative for Vietnam to concretize its policy of always being proactive and actively promoting the role of multilateral institutions of which Vietnam is a member, especially within the frameworks of ASEAN and the United Nations, thereby creating new platforms for Vietnam to contribute more to multilateral forums in the coming time,” Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized at the press conference.

It is expected that the main activities within the framework of the Forum will include an opening session, two plenary sessions and an interactive session between the Secretary General and ASEAN youth:

Plenary Session 1: Accelerating ASEAN's Sustainable Future

Plenary Session 2: Ensuring Comprehensive Security for a People-Centered ASEAN Community

Interactive Session: ASEAN Secretary General Meets Youth Representatives from Vietnam and ASEAN Member States

In addition, there will be two working lunch sessions on April 23 on the topics of Repositioning ASEAN Centrality and Seizing Development Opportunities in the Digital Age.

According to the Communist Party of Vietnam

Source: https://baosonla.org.vn/thoi-su-chinh-tri/hop-bao-quoc-te-ve-dien-dan-tuong-lai-asean-2024-ggy5r0xSg.html