On 6 November 2025, ASEF participated in the ASEAN Youth Conference (AYC) 2025 in Kuala Lumpur with a keynote presentation highlighting the importance of intercultural youth leadership in shaping an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN region.

About the ASEAN Youth Conference 2025

The ASEAN Youth Conference 2025 took place in Kuala Lumpur convening 200 youth leaders and change-makers from ASEAN member states and beyond to discuss youth roles in building an inclusive and sustainable region. Framed under the theme “Youth Role in Building an Inclusive & Sustainable ASEAN Region,” the event aligned with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and the broader ASEAN Youth Work Plan 2021–2025. The conference programme combined keynote interventions, panel discussions, and capacity building on the ASEAN Youth Work Plan and ASEAN Youth Development Index to translate youth perspectives into concrete policy‑relevant ideas for the post‑2025 agenda.

ASEF’s Contribution

ASEF, represented by Ms Freya CHOW-PAUL, Youth Project Lead, through a pre-recorded video, delivered one of four keynote speeches in the Opening Ceremony on 6 November 2025. Her intervention, titled “Intercultural Youth Leadership to Strengthen Regional Unity”, took place in the morning segment alongside speakers from government, academia, and the social innovation sector. Through this contribution, ASEF shared perspectives from Asia–Europe cooperation on how youth-led, intercultural leadership could reinforce social cohesion, mutual understanding, and peacebuilding in Southeast Asia.

Intercultural youth leadership at the centre

The keynote explored three main dimensions: youth as peacebuilders and cultural ambassadors, the role of intercultural exchanges in deepening empathy and trust across borders, and recommendations for ASEAN youth programmes that champion diversity and inclusion. Drawing on ASEF’s track record in youth leadership and mobility initiatives, including projects such as the ASEF Young Leaders Summit and trainings on intercultural communication, the presentation highlighted how structured exchanges between Asia and Europe could inspire innovative, youth-led solutions to regional challenges. The address encouraged delegates to view intercultural competence not as a soft add‑on, but as a core leadership capacity for navigating complex, interconnected crises in the ASEAN region.

Partnership with the ASEAN Youth Organization

Through its engagement at AYC 2025, ASEF deepened collaboration with the ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO), a youth-led community representing more than 500,000 Southeast Asian youths and recognised as an ASEAN-approved non-profit foundation. Our shared commitment to youth empowerment and regional cooperation has provided the building blocks of a strong partnership with AYO for many years, with AYO representatives joining ASEF’s youth projects yearly, and ASEF being invited regularly to contribute to AYO events.