ASEAN was established following the Bangkok Declaration on 8 August, 1967 by 5 countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Later on, ASEAN countries expanded to cover Brunei (joined on 7 January, 1984), Vietnam (28 July, 1995), Lao, Burma (23 July, 1995) and Cambodia (30 April, 1999) respectively. This unification has resulted in ASEAN comprising 10 countries in South East Asia.
ASEAN was first established aim at promoting political, economic and social collaboration, peace and regional security as well as to encourage the collaboration between ASEAN and international organizations. The policy and work approaches of ASEAN are determined and shaped by various gathering of ASEAN leader such as consultation at the government level, ministerial level and senior official level at the meeting and ASEAN summits. This forum aims to identify policies and provide the opportunities for member countries to identify goals and plans for the long term. These are presented in the form of action plan documents, joint Declarations, Declarations, Agreements or Conventions, The Ministerial meetings and Senior Official’s Meetings are normally held to review and specify policies.
Since its existence in 1967, ASEAN now is in the critical juncture of living and working in a fast changing regional and international environment. ASEAN has built its reputation through inviting great and economic powers such as China, Japan, India and United States, to establish regional cooperation with ASEAN. More importantly, ASEAN needs to encourage people to be involved and engaged to participation in development process in meaningful ways. If ASEAN wants to be relevant, credible and trustworthy now and in the future, it is imperative that ASEAN should not left the people behind in particular youth group and youth’s engagement with ASEAN is, actually not a new issue.
The world today are facing the globalization and the drive towards neo-liberalism and unlimited modernization in development, the influence of privatization and consumerism is slowly affecting almost every aspect of our life, especially of young people in South East Asia who have been growing up under the challenges changes. Firstly, the world of local wisdom and its emphasis on values, spirits and collectivism, and secondly, emphasizes materialism and individualism. Also, they’re all may not be fully aware of the issues, it’s very important that youth today empower themselves and recognize the social problems and the most importantly, is youth must participate in creating a fair, just and peaceful society at the local, national, and regional revels. In regard to this, youth participation today has been encouraged to take part in addressing their challenges with reasonable recommendations. Therefore, they will together search for and identify issues of ASEAN youth, whom are facing the challenges that come with the various forms of development.
More than 320 youth from ASEAN countries participated in the ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF) during the last three years, have gathered in various venues within the region to participate in voicing out, to realize their dream and participate for true change in each county. Problems like education, equality of rights, protection, sexual and reproductive health and rights, welfare and decent environment must be resolved by taking part in pushing the ASEAN leaders and each leader to make policy as the political answer for these problems.
On 29-31 March, 2012, the meeting of ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum, ACSC/APF, will take place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This meeting held as the initiative of civil society in ASEAN region in order to respond the upcoming ASEAN Summit in April 2012. ACSC was first time held in Malaysia with the aim to strengthen the ASEAN people, and following the meeting in the Philippines in 2006, Singapore in 2007, 2009 in Thailand, 2010 in Vietnam and last year in Indonesia. Now Cambodia is the host for the meeting.
ASEAN Youth Forum is a platform for youth in ASEAN to mainstream their voices of concerns, issues and recommendations to the ASEAN Leaders to influence policy decision making and it is always organized prior to the ACSC/APF at the host country during the chairmanship of that country. Therefore, AYF will be co-organized by YCUD, CVS, MPJ, TVS and AYM from 26-28 March, 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
OBJECTIVE
1) To identify the challenges faced by ASEAN youth and further politicized the priority issues into the sub regional advocacy arena such as during APF/ACSC as well as within the ASEAN Summit
2) To create well functioning youth rights centered mechanism that enable us to follow up the previous addressed challenges and recommendations given to ASEAN Governments, ASEAN secretariat and Civil Society actors.
3) To adhere feasible advocacy platform mapping and strategy to advance the realization of youth rights in ASEAN.
4) To make meaningful youth participation in ASEAN and engage in decision making mechanisms toward building a people-centered ASEAN.
5) To strengthen the existing networking among ASEAN youth especially marginalized youth groups through networking and advocacy.
6) To build common platform among youth including women, labor, minorities and marginalized groups in ASEAN region.
EXPECTATION
1) Common challenges and recommendations identified by ASEAN Youth
2) Mechanism to follow up the previous addressed challenges and recommendations created.
3) Strategies to voice out the youth voice in ASEAN set
4) ASEAN youth has space for meaningful participation in ASEAN and engaging in decision making mechanisms toward building a people-centered ASEAN.
5) Existing networking among ASEAN youth especially marginalized youth groups through networking and advocacy strengthened.
Youth including women, labor, minorities and marginalized groups in ASEAN region have their common platform to express their voices to ASEAN Leaders.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
In order to strengthen the peace along the border of Cambodia and Thailand, WGP and TVS would like to initiate another activity, Khmer-Thai Viskhaday for Peace to try to address the tension of such above issues and keep friendship of the two nations. The Day of Visakha is internationally recognized by United Nations in General Assembly Resolution 54/115 (A/RES/54/115) and acknowledge as Buddhism contribution to humanity and peace. Further, the majority of people in these two nations are Buddhist. To ease the tension and to keep the building solidarity among the two nations by suing this concept would helpful and effective way for peace building.
The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.
