The ASEAN Future Forum is Viet Nam’s first large-scale multilateral initiative in the track 1.5 format, providing a platform for leaders, experts, researchers, businesses, and other stakeholders to engage in discussions and propose new ideas and initiatives to shape ASEAN’s future development and strengthen its cooperation with partners.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (6th from the right) and delegates attending the opening session of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2025 on February 25. (Photo: baoquocte.vn) |
Themed “Building a United, Inclusive and Resilient ASEAN amidst Global Transformation”, the forum brought together over 600 in-person participants, including more than 230 international delegates, who shared their analyses clarifying both immediate and long-term opportunities and challenges facing the ASEAN Community. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh initiated the forum, announced at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta last September.
The two-day forum (February 25–26) features five official plenary sessions, pre-forum activities, and significant side events:
On the morning of February 25, pre-forum activities took place at the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, including the photo exhibition “30 Years of Viet Nam’s Participation in ASEAN” and three parallel thematic discussions on “Women, Peace, and Security: Digital Transformation for Sustainable Peace, Promoting Smart Agriculture for Regional Food Security”, and “Promoting Dialogue for Peace and Stability in the Region”.
In the afternoon of February 25, the official Forum commenced at Melia Hanoi Hotel with an opening session attended by and featuring remarks from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. This was followed by two plenary discussions on “Major Trends Impacting ASEAN and the World by 2035” and “Strengthening ASEAN's Fundamental Principles to Address Future Challenges”. The first day concluded with a high-level gala dinner.
On February 26, four plenary sessions will take place, including a high-level session attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and senior leaders from ASEAN and partner nations. Other plenary discussions will focus on “Subregional Cooperation to Promote Resilience and Sustainable Development”, “Governance of Emerging Technologies to Ensure Comprehensive Security”, and “ASEAN's Role in Promoting Peace in a Fragmented World”. This will be interspersed with a working lunch session on ASEAN Embracing the Future: Mastering Emerging Technologies, concluding with the closing session.
In his speech at the opening session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pointed out several challenges for the bloc, including political polarisation; aging populations; resources depletion; diversification of markets, products, and supply chains; greening of production, business, and services; and digitalisation of human activities. However, the context also opens rare opportunities for ASEAN to affirm its position and make breakthrough advancement.
The Prime Minister's assessment received consensus and support from forum participants. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa laid stress on several trends affecting ASEAN in the coming period such as demographics, digital transformation, cross-border threats, epidemics, and climate change, noting that digital transformation is an area ASEAN must particularly prioritise to keep pace with global development trends.
Prof. Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, observed that the world is witnessing a decline in international cooperation while emphasising the challenges to the region from competition between major powers.
At the plenary session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2025 (Photo: VNA)
Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh, former Head of ASEAN SOM of Viet Nam, suggested ASEAN, existing in a dynamic region with 58 years of operation and boasting unique strengths as a collective and a connector of regions and leading global partners, should strengthen economic integration, resilience, and regional cohesion. ASEAN has successfully completed the integration process over the past few decades and must upgrade to improve intra-bloc connectivity and economic-trade relations with partners. In this new context, ASEAN must keep up with trends in digital transformation, green transformation, and innovation.
Regarding ASEAN's working method, the diplomat noted that ASEAN has long operated based on consensus and active contribution to common work. To enhance its central role alongside the principle, ASEAN needs to promote decision-making processes in a more proactive and effective as well as faster fashion.
He stated that it is necessary for the bloc to maintain consultations and continue intra-bloc exchanges as well as with other partners.
Together with traditional and non-traditional challenges, the emergence of breakthrough technologies has forced governments, enterprises and individuals to strive to adapt. At the plenary session themed managing emerging technologies to ensure comprehensive security, participants shared the common view that building a united, inclusive, and resilient ASEAN requires solutions to effectively govern new technologies such as AI to serve people’s interests while promoting sustainable development in the region.
According to Prof. Matthias C. Kettemann from the University of Innsbruck (Austria), ASEAN has a great opportunity to take lead in AI and AI governance as well as build a global legal framework for AI governance that ensures AI use complies with ethical principles while pursuing global digital initiatives.
If ASEAN wants to harmonise AI benefits and ensure seamless AI integration, strengthen AI transparency without hampering innovation is essential, he said, adding policy-makers need to provide clear legal tools to define responsibilities to apply the technology.
In its second edition, the AFF continued to consolidate its brand as a meeting point for vibrant discussions on inclusive topics facing ASEAN on its development journey. The breakthrough exchanges and proposals at the Forum affirmed the bloc's central position in a world of turmoil and serve as valuable references when ASEAN finalises its strategic programme for the Community Vision 2045./.
Source: Vietnamtimes
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