Foreign Affairs Research Specialist Joycee A. Teodoro discusses the ASEAN integration and its implications for international diplomacy and politics during the ASEAN Youth Summit 2015 at the De La Salle University on 24 January 2015. (Photo courtesy of the ASEAN Youth Summit Central Committee, DLSU-Manila).

Foreign Affairs Research Specialist Joycee A. Teodoro of the Foreign Service Institute participated as a resource speaker in the ASEAN Youth Summit 2015 at the De La Salle University on 23-25 January 2015.

In her presentation, Ms. Teodoro discussed ASEAN and how the regional organization has helped shaped the region’s political, economic, and socio-cultural landscape. She also took note of the challenges faced by ASEAN as it moves toward the creation of the ASEAN Community by the end of 2015. Furthermore, she pointed out the importance of ASEAN and why it matters not just for the governments of the ten ASEAN Member States but, more importantly, to the peoples of ASEAN.

The ASEAN Youth Summit, with this year’s theme “Empowering ASEAN Youth Towards a Greater ASEAN Community,” is a three-day international conference with participants coming from all over the region. Its main goal is to further reinforce the ASEAN Identity through the creation of various types of discussions and activities that seek to answer questions related to ASEAN and to further cultivate the knowledge of the youth about the Association. The summit was organized by the De La Salle University Manila.