The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Chairing the event, Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal, Founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia stressed that ASEAN's community building goals are closely linked with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 (ADM 2025).
He said this forum serves as a platform for stakeholders to showcase the bloc's commitment and actions toward a new global consensus on multilateral solutions to current and future challenges.
Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung described digital transformation and green transition as the most critical factors in the coming decade. He called for new digital institutions, new digital infrastructure and a new digital workforce.
Vietnam has many initiatives aimed at providing basic digital skills to its people, such as digital villages, community-based digital groups and open online courses, he said, affirming readiness to share experien✅ce with and learn from ASEAN cou꧋nterparts regarding these initiatives.
Officials at AFF 2024 (Photo: VNA)
The minister made it clear that the future is a digital ASEAN, and there is still a long road ahead.
Discussions focused on potential governance models and initiatives that allow member countries to overcome economic instability and complexity in strategic geography toward sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the post-pandemic era. This included seeking a harmonious balance between the urgent needs for rapid socioeconomic development and the requirements for environmental sustainability and strategic autonomy, taking into account the importance of daꦍta-driven decision-making, public-private partnerships, and innovative solutions in renewable energy, circular economy, aꦆnd sustainable supply chains./.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024), which will take place in Hanoi on April 23, is expected to create a platform for stakeholders to contribute ideas and initiatives on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s future vision, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet has said.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should have a strategic and comprehensive vision, and improve its resilience capacity to grasp opportunities and handle global headwinds for stable and sustainable development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on April 23.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
ASEAN foreign ministers on April 19 issued a statement calling on all parties to immediately cease violence and exercise maximum restraint in the border areas of Myanmar.
The warming waters of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea are negatively affecting marine life, leaving dugongs desperate for food, according to Thai scientists.
Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) 
Officials at AFF 2024 (Photo: VNA) 
