WHAT WAS THE 6TH ASEF YOUNG LEADERS SUMMIT IN OSAKA, JAPAN?
Between 29 September-5 October 2025, the in-person Youth Summit of the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit took place in Osaka, Japan.
The Youth Summit was the culminating phase of the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit – a 2-month leadership development programme on the topic of ‘Leadership in Society 5.0’, which connects young people across Asia & Europe, applying a 360 degree approach on leadership development and community engagement: 1) self-leadership (you), 2) team leadership (we) and 3) societal leadership (all).
The large-scale Youth Summit brought together 89 participants from 50 countries from Asia and Europe to Japan and Osaka for a week long programme filed with intellectual exchange, intercultural learnings, and sharing of different perspectives for both the personal and professional development of young leaders.
Watch Interviews with some of the speakers of the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit in Osaka, Japan below!
In this interview video, Ambassador Beata STOCZYŃSKA; H.E. Nararya S SOEPRAPTO; Mr Carsten BECK; and Dr Lizan E PERANTE-CALINA share their perspectives on what it takes to be a leader in today’s ‘Society 5.0’ where people are more connected than ever, and how youth can navigate this new phase of society keeping in mind values such as sustainability, ethics, inclusivity, and integrity.
How does technology shape society now and how will it shape the future? How do we adjust to ensure that we remain human-centered in our leadership approach?
Listen to them as they share their messages with young people (like yourself) around the world!
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEES
Ambassador Beata STOCZYŃSKA joined the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) as its 9th Executive Director in October 2024. She is the first female and the first Polish national to lead the organisation. Ambassador STOCZYŃSKA has a distinguished career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Prior to her appointment at ASEF, she was Ambassador of Poland to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN (2018 to 2024). She also previously served as Ambassador of Poland to New Zealand (2010 to 2014). At the Ministry, her portfolios included the Asia Pacific region, as well as relations with the European Union. She brings to ASEF invaluable international experience, proven managerial skills and broad networks of contacts.
Ambassador Beata STOCZYŃSKA
Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
H.E. Nararya S SOEPRAPTO
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
H.E. Nararya S. Soeprapto was appointed Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs for 2024–2027. In this role, he supports the Secretary-General in guiding ASEAN’s corporate, legal, and public affairs, as well as its outreach initiatives. With 29 years of professional experience spanning government, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and regional associations, DSG Nararya has consistently contributed to ASEAN-related projects and community programmes. His career reflects a commitment to fostering organisational growth with people at its core. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy from Schiller International University in England and a Bachelor of Arts in Management and International Studies from Webster University in Austria.
Mr Carsten BECK has been working with trend analysis and scenario processes at the Institute for more than 30 years in more than 30 countries. He is Head of presentations and key notes at the Institute. Carsten has en extensive experience as a presenter from doing more than 1,000 presentations globally during his professional life, spanning from global conferences to smaller groups in all types of organisations. The themes Carsten has been working with all relate to how global and local trends shape the future for organisations, companies, and societies. Carsten has done scenario processes in retail, HR, finance, business-to-business, governments and NGOs. His key priority is how to drive processes for clients in order for them to prepare for the future. These clients include organisations in global retail, governments, industrial conglomerates, cultural organisations, rock festivals, tourist organisations, the transport industry, IT and more. Carsten is Master of Science in Political Economy from the Copenhagen University. He joined the Institute in 1990.
Mr Carsten BECK
Director & Futurist, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Dr Lizan E PERANTE-CALINA
Dean and Vice-President, Development Academy of the Philippines - Graduate School of Public and Development Management
Dr Lizan E. Perante-Calina is Dean of the Graduate School of Public and Development Management (GSPDM) at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), where she has pioneered efforts to institutionalise futures thinking in governance and public sector capacity building. She spearheaded the country’s first credit-bearing Certificate Course on Foresight and Futures Thinking and is developing a Master’s in Public Management major in Futures Studies. Under her leadership, GSPDM has expanded to over 10 Master’s programs and 22 certificate courses, benefiting more than 3,000 students nationwide. She is also Founder and President of the Philippine Futures Thinking Society (PhilFutures), securing government support for foresight initiatives aligned with the SDGs. Recognised with the DILG NextGen Capacity Development Accelerator Award, she has contributed to UN CEPA and other global platforms, authored scholarly works, and taught internationally, advancing Philippine leadership in foresight and governance.
Want to learn more about the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit and the Youth Summit in Osaka, Japan? Click the link here to read more or see the full programme here.
Interested in learning more about the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit? Click the link below to learn more about the full programme.