JAKARTA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) marked its 59th anniversary on Saturday, highlighting the need to ensure the regional grouping remains relevant to its people, particularly young people, amid growing geopolitical, economic and social challenges.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said the region's future would depend in part on whether its younger generation sees ASEAN as something valuable that creates opportunities in their everyday lives.
"That means continuing to expand opportunities for young people to learn, work, innovate and collaborate across our region," Kao said in his remarks at the celebration in Jakarta on Saturday.
It means creating more space for them to contribute ideas, build partnerships, and shape solutions to the issues that matter most to them, from education to sustainability, from employment to entrepreneurship, from digital transformation to community development, he said.
He added that ASEAN must ensure that its future is built with the active participation and contribution of the generation that would inherit it.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono said the regional grouping must ensure that its cooperation produces tangible benefits for its people, particularly as conflicts, strategic rivalry and fragmentation reshape the global environment.
He added that ASEAN must equip young people with the education, skills and confidence to lead the region into its next chapter. ■