April 27, 2017
Allow me first to say Mabuhay and Welcome to the Philippines to our youth leaders from the ASEAN Member States.
To our program partners from the Department of Health and the UNAIDS, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council.
To our Filipino youth volunteers, participants and facilitators,
Members of the NYC Organizing Committee
Fellow workers in the government
Today marks another milestone in the history of the Philippines’ Chairmanship of the ASEAN.
A decade ago, in the City of Cebu, the Philippines, through the National Youth Commission hosted the Meeting of ASEAN Youth Leaders and facilitated their Interface with the ASEAN Leaders through our collaboration with the Committee for ASEAN Youth Cooperation (CAYC).
At that time, the dynamic role of the youth in realizing the ASEAN Community Vision was given emphasis and recognition by the ASEAN leaders.
The succeeding years saw the active participation of the ASEAN youth in various endeavors in the areas of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, climate change, people to people exchanges, education, culture, and advocacies on health, notably on HIV AIDS prevention.
In fact, it is very interesting to note that we have groups such as the ASEAN Youth Volunteers, ASEANpreneurs, ASEAN Young Leaders Association and other organized groups that showcase the tangible results of the initiatives undertaken by the youth in the ASEAN region which contributed much to the attainment of regional peace and understanding, appreciation of cultural diversity, as well as promoting economic empowerment among the marginalized sector.
For the 2017 Preparatory Meeting, we adopted the theme, “ASEAN Workplan for the Youth: Transcending Regional Boundaries” because we firmly believe that our essential desire to be involved in major efforts of our respective countries’ leaders matter a lot.
The ASEAN Workplan for the Youth that was discussed in the Senior Officials Meeting on Youth held in Cambodia in September last year,underscored five major focus areas that we, as representatives of the youth sector need to work on.
In the area of Entrepreneurship, we need to review the provisions of the Manila Declaration on Sustainable Youth Employment that was adopted by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth in 2003. The declaration spells out how the youth, with their enhanced skills-set, can pursue entrepreneurial endeavors that contribute greatly to the improvement of the economic conditions of both the individual and the community.
The onset of information technology has tremendously provided the best avenue to establish connectivity when it comes to sharing of best practices in entrepreneurship.
The youth has become more engaged in innovative entrepreneurial activities utilizing the social media to connect with fellow ASEAN citizens and the world in general.
In the area of Volunteerism, the ASEAN youth has participated in numerous volunteer activities, more specifically in disaster risk reduction management during and after calamities.
In the pursuit of advocacy activities where we practice resiliency, the ASEAN Youth Volunteers’ Programme was conceptualized to become a regular standard of activities for volunteerism where the youth became more attuned to the needs of disaster victims and as active responders to calamity situations. They were fielded in areas where they exerted their best effort to lend a helping hand unmindful of the risks involved.
Adding to that, resiliency also covers the area of practicing hygienic habits and healthy lifestyle. We all recognize the impact of HIV AIDSand those posed by drug and substance abuse among the vulnerable groups, most specially the youth.
An intensive advocacy campaign to practice clean living and healthy lifestyle is gaining ground among the young people. The active involvement of the ASEAN youth in physical activities that promote physical fitness andwell being should be sustained.
Getting to know the ASEAN is a must for all of us. As citizens of the region, we are duty bound as youth leaders to be the forefront of activities that promote ASEAN awareness.
I hope that all of you are aware of the annual ASEAN Quiz Bee, the ASEAN Youth Debates on Human Rights, the ASEAN Youth Day Meeting, the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) in ASEAN, the ASEAN Youth Awards and other similar youth activities that encourage youth participation thereby paving the way to gaining more knowledge about ASEAN.
These activities are supported at the levels of the Senior Officials’Meeting on Youth (SOMY) and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY).
Further, I would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that the draft of the ASEAN Youth Development Index is now going the rounds of the ASEAN Member States for comments and inputs. The AYDI which was proposed by the Philippines through the National Youth Commission and has Indonesia as lead coordinator, and is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (or UNFPA).
We call the AYDI as a dream project because it took several years before it was realized. It is a document that will provide all of us with a better perspective of the ASEAN youth’s aspirations in various facets of their lives and is envisioned to boost the conceptualization of programs, projects and activities that are geared towards furthering ASEAN youth development.
In our discussions today, let us keep in mind that the statement that we will convey to our leaders will also carry with it our sustained passion to prepare the best future for this generation of ASEAN youth.
Ultimately, let us work together with an open mind to prepare the best statement that captures the very essence of the task that was entrusted to all of us to translate the ASEAN Youth Work plan into action.
Thank you and MABUHAY!
Live coverage of the event at the ASEAN 2017 Facebook Page
No comments:
Post a Comment