During the 1st ASEAN Civil Society Conference held December 7-9 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia a critical decision to create a South East Asia Youth Assembly was arrived at following consensus on a 12-point key priority issues and recommendations on how to improve youth development programs in the region. These recommendations will form part of civil society demands to the heads of state of the ASEAN attending the 11 ASEAN Summit on December 12.

The priority issues and recommendations include ensuring youth participation by creating permanent structures and mechanisms at various levels from national to regional. It also calls for a comprehensive capacity development program including training, exchanges and the setting up of a regional training and education center to prepare ASEAN youth for leadership in building the ASEAN community. The consensus also includes a proposal for ASEAN to adopt creative and independently manage financing mechanism for youth development in the region such as a Debt-Swap for Youth Involvement in Community Development.

The participants to the workshop who agreed on these common aspirations and proposed collective actions comprises of youth & students networks, youth-serving organizations and other civil society organizations concern and dealing with youth and human resource development such as labor unions, rural development NGO networks and others.

Creating an online platform for further discussion and consolidation
(www.southeastasiayouth.org) – uploaded by 13 December

This articulation of common views and common positions/actions will be carried in the message to the ASEAN leaders during their summit. However, the participants noted the equally important need to continue to link with each other and try to discuss in more depth and build more understanding and solidarity on these views and common positions and positions/actions. Thus, a decision was also reached to set-up a common platform online for further discussion and consolidation. This is seen as a public platform open to all interested individuals and organizations concern about youth development in the region to come together virtually, share information and opportunities.

We invite other initiatives and existing networks of youth in the South East Asia to use this platform for enhancing their networking and international linkages. Webpages will be made available to regional youth networks and assemblies who may want to join us in setting up a truly South East Asia Youth Assembly.

The site is sponsored by the YSDA-Pilipinas Inc. (Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly), a national network of 20 youth organizations in the Philippines working together to support youth involvement in community-level sustainable development. For more information about YSDA, please visit: www.ysda.org