Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to actively collaborate with ASEAN member states and partners in fostering regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and development centered around the welfare of people. His remarks came during the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 held in Hà Nội on Tuesday.
Themed “Towards fast and sustainable growth of a people-centered ASEAN community,” the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 convened nearly 500 delegates, comprising government leaders, scholars, and ambassadors from ASEAN countries and partner nations.
Prime Minister Chính highlighted ASEAN’s pivotal role as a platform for dialogues and growth initiatives while acknowledging existing challenges, such as development disparities among member states and limited intra-community connectivity despite being the world’s fifth-largest economy.
He underscored the intensifying global competitiveness among nations and regions, coupled with environmental concerns, peace initiatives, and cooperation challenges. Chính emphasized the transformative potential of technological advancements, which could drive breakthroughs but also pose inequality risks for developing nations.
The emerging trends of green growth and the circular economy necessitate comprehensive approaches that align with global imperatives for sustainable economic gains, Chính emphasized, stressing the importance of removing barriers to stable and sustainable development within the ASEAN community.
Việt Nam, Chính reiterated, prioritizes ASEAN in its foreign policies and national security strategies, aligning innovation and international integration efforts with ASEAN across all domains.
To actualize the ASEAN Vision 2045, Prime Minister Chính urged the bloc to strengthen unity amidst diversity, uphold independence and self-reliance, and maintain a common ASEAN stance on regional and international issues. Enhancing strategic trust among members and partners is essential to averting conflicts and sustaining regional stability and prosperity, he added.
Chính outlined key missions, including promoting green growth and the digital economy as new growth drivers, mobilizing all resources for socio-economic development, and revitalizing policies, infrastructure, and human resources for rapid and sustainable progress.
The ASEAN Future Forum, initiated by Prime Minister Chính during the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta last September, serves as a multi-stakeholder platform complementing existing mechanisms to facilitate long-term community development strategies. The forum aims to foster insightful discussions among stakeholders, generate actionable policy recommendations, and contribute directly to decision-making processes at the highest levels within ASEAN.
The forum aligns with ASEAN’s key values and principles, supporting the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific. It seeks to deepen mutual trust, understanding, and cooperation among ASEAN members, external partners, and stakeholders committed to advancing the community’s progressive future.
The conclusions drawn from the ASEAN Future Forum will be officially conveyed to ASEAN’s top leadership, with proposals also expected to be submitted to the United Nations as part of ASEAN’s contributions to the upcoming UN Summit of the Future in September 2024. This engagement underscores ASEAN’s dedication to shaping a sustainable trajectory amid evolving regional and global landscapes.
The ASEAN Future Forum represents a significant initiative aimed at fortifying ASEAN’s institutional capacity and steering the community towards a prosperous and resilient future in line with its long-term vision and commitments.
