Delegates attending the press conference in Hà Nội on Monday. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

HÀ NỘI The capital city is hosting the first ever ASEAN Future Forum on April 23.

The ASEAN Future Forum (AFF), an initiative from Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, aims to foster a dialogue with multilateral, multidimensional and multilayered values, and to promote in-depth, comprehensive discussions on critical issues for the future development of ASEAN.

The forum also looks to provide new pragmatic policy recommendations to ASEAN leaders, while improving understanding and cooperation among stakeholders, in order to create a sustainable, people-centred future for ASEAN. It will also contribute to the coming UN Summit of the Future in September.

The forum, announced in a press conference at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam in Hà Nội on Monday, includes one opening session and two plenary sessions, as well as other activities. The opening session will feature participation and speeches from high-level leaders of Việt Nam, current and incoming ASEAN Chair countries, the ASEAN Secretary-General, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Plenary session one, titled "ASEAN’s Rapid Development for a Sustainable Future", will feature discussions on fostering a future for the ASEAN community. The second plenary session will discuss ensuring comprehensive security for a people-centred ASEAN Community.

There will also be two parallel working lunch sessions on the themes "Repositioning ASEAN's central role" and "Seizing development opportunities in the Digital Age."

Prior to this, on April 22, the ASEAN Secretary-General's dialogue with youth will take place. This is one of the notable highlights of the AFF 2024, providing an opportunity for Vietnamese and ASEAN youth to enhance their understanding of ASEAN, share their expectations, and provide recommendations for the future direction of ASEAN.

Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Đỗ Hùng Việt said that the current world scenario poses new questions for ASEAN in the present and in the future.

"The initiative of the ASEAN Future Forum is part of Việt Nam and other countries' efforts to create a platform to discuss and collaborate to find answers to these questions," said Việt. VNS