On the morning of June 9th, the ASEAN Future Forum 2026 (AFF) opened with the theme “Shaping a Shared Future Together: Peace, Prosperity and People-Centered Development”.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, along with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, attended the forum. The forum also included participation from partners, representatives of international organizations, and regional and global scholars.
KEY FEATURES OF THE ASEAN FUTURE FORUM
In his welcoming remarks, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung stated that the presence of high-ranking leaders from ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Secretary-General, representatives of international organizations, academics, businesses, and local authorities reflected the growing interest in the future of ASEAN, while also demonstrating a spirit of partnership and shared responsibility in shaping the region's development in the new era.
The ASEAN Forum (AFF) was initiated by Vietnam with the desire to create "an open, substantive, and forward-looking dialogue space," bringing together policymakers, researchers, the business community, and partners inside and outside the region to exchange ideas, share initiatives, and contribute to the process of building the ASEAN Community.
The positive response from member states and international partners from the very first sessions demonstrates the growing need for a multifaceted forum capable of connecting strategic ideas with ASEAN's policy-making process.
Referring to the regional and global context, Minister Le Hoai Trung noted that the world is undergoing profound changes as strategic competition intensifies, polarization, mistrust, and instability become more complex, leading to many new transnational challenges.
The Minister expressed his hope that AFF would “create more opportunities for diplomacy, dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation,” thereby becoming a practical channel to support the ASEAN Community building process.
According to the Minister, the unique aspect of AFF lies in its openness and inclusiveness, as this framework is not limited to exchanges between government leaders but also attracts the participation of political parties, localities, research institutions, businesses, and social organizations.
Affirming the goal of moving towards an ASEAN that is “united, resilient, dynamic, innovative, and people-centered,” Minister Le Hoai Trung stated that the association's strength will be built upon the joint efforts of each member state, thereby further affirming ASEAN's central role and position in the evolving regional structure.
AFF 2026 aims to promote the building of a more resilient and sustainable ASEAN community, while contributing ideas for the future of ASEAN.
THREE STRATEGIC FITNESS LEVELS
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung emphasized that the AFF holds special significance, with its theme reflecting the core values that ASEAN is pursuing and outlining the future direction of the association in the coming period.
"I would like to begin with a question that is not new about the future. In a world undergoing profound change, the question facing us today is not just how ASEAN will adapt, but how ASEAN will shape its own future in the 21st century?", the Prime Minister posed the question.
After 59 years of formation and development, ASEAN's greatest achievement lies not only in its population of nearly 700 million people or its position as one of the world's most dynamic growth centers, but also in its efforts to overcome differences, build trust, and expand cooperation.
The Prime Minister shared that if the past nearly six decades have been a journey of building ASEAN's identity, then the coming decades will be a journey of shaping ASEAN's future in a world where the fundamental rules of global economics, technology, and power are being rewritten.
Technology is redefining competitiveness. Artificial intelligence is redefining productivity. Data is redefining power. And green transformation is redefining the development model.
According to the Prime Minister, at this pivotal moment, the advantage lies not only with countries possessing vast resources but also with those countries and regions capable of participating in shaping the new rules and norms of the era. Vietnam believes that ASEAN needs and must become an active participant in that process.
The Prime Minister stated that to realize that aspiration, ASEAN needs to continue to promote the spirit of solidarity, self-reliance, and unity in diversity – the values that have contributed to its success – but with a more innovative approach: consensus on values but dynamic in action, steadfast in principles but innovative in methods, maintaining its identity but proactively creating opportunities in the face of the changes of the new era.
In the journey towards realizing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the Prime Minister stated that ASEAN needs to aim for three strategic dimensions.
Firstly, ASEAN should not only participate in global trends but also contribute to shaping them. ASEAN needs to become a center of dialogue, a focal point of cooperation, and a pillar of trust. This is ASEAN's unique contribution to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
Secondly, ASEAN is not just a manufacturing hub, but also a center of innovation. Its labor advantages and geographical location have made ASEAN a crucial link in the global supply chain. But in the digital age, the future belongs not to economies that only know how to manufacture, but also to those that know how to innovate. ASEAN must not only be a place where technology is consumed, but where technology is created; not only a place where supply chains pass through, but where value chains are shaped.
This requires ASEAN to invest more heavily in science and technology, innovation, the digital economy, and high-quality human resources, moving towards the formation of a technology and digital ecosystem with an ASEAN identity, while actively contributing to the formation of common global standards.
Third, it is not just a community of nations, but a true community of people.
ASEAN's greatest achievement over the past nearly 60 years has been demonstrating to the world that differences do not lead to division, unity does not stifle diversity, and integration does not diminish identity.
The ultimate goal of any development strategy is not growth figures, but the quality of life for the people.
"We believe that innovation that widens disparities is not progress. And growth without inclusiveness cannot be sustainable. Therefore, a successful ASEAN is measured not only by GDP but by the opportunities created for the younger generation, the roles given to women, the protection provided to vulnerable groups, and the extent to which every citizen feels this is a community they truly belong to," the Prime Minister affirmed.
The head of government emphasized that Vietnam is strongly committed to continuing to stand alongside ASEAN with the aspiration to build the future, with all its heart and mind, because Vietnam's future is linked to the future of ASEAN as well as to the common peace, stability and prosperity of the entire region.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/thu-tuong-muc-tieu-moi-chien-luoc-phat-trien-khong-phai-la-con-so-tang-truong-2524053.html
