Kuala Lumpur,November 19 (AseanAll)  —  ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025, a flagship initiative under ASEAN Prize, convened on November 19, 2025 to highlight ASEAN’s commitment to promote visibility and significance of this ASEAN’s regional premier award in strengthening ASEAN Community building efforts.

Held as a joint collaboration between the ASEAN Secretariat as administrator of the regional award with the ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO), ASEAN Prize Recipient 2024, as well as the Sunway University and Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, the ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025 brought together distinguished ASEAN Prize Recipients, alongside regional thought-leaders and opinion influencers, in a discussion platform to exchange views and perspectives on the current regional and global trends, particularly those impacting Southeast Asia.

As annual forum, the ASEAN Prize Symposium also aimed at spotlighting inspiring stories of outreach and impact of the outstanding initiatives that continue to strengthen ASEAN identity, while fostering meaningful exchanges among ASEAN’s peoples to cultivate a shared vision for a more united, resilient, and forward-looking ASEAN Community.

As the Administrator of the ASEAN Prize, Lee Yoong Yoong, Director for Community Affairs Directorate at the ASEAN Secretariat, expressed, “ As part of the public outreach efforts of the ASEAN Prize, and in line with its mandate for recipients to champion social responsibility and inspire positive change, the ASEAN Prize Symposium serves as a dedicated platform to amplify voices of the recipients, showcase their journey and contributions, and foster dialogue on advancing regional cooperation and community-building efforts, alongside thought-leaders from across ASEAN.”

Convened under the theme “Future ASEAN: Driving Change for an Inclusive, Future-Ready, and Sustainable Region,” the ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025 featured a full day of public lectures and dialogue sessions with distinguished panellists across a series of multifaceted thematic discussions. Under the ASEAN Prize Talk session, the ASEAN Prize Recipients shared their personal journeys and impactful contributions to advancing the ASEAN Community-building agenda. Furthermore, the symposium also convened a series of insightful Panel Discussions, covering the areas of youth-led governance, regional resilience and environmental sustainability as well as digital transformation, that further deepened the exchange of ideas and perspectives on the region’s shared future.

The Deputy Director of ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Division (ASCCD), ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat, Dr. Selvaraj Ramasamy Abdullah, addressed in his opening remarks, “As ASEAN Chair, Malaysia views the ASEAN Prize Symposium not merely as a commemorative event, but as a strategic space for shaping our collective trajectory toward ASEAN 2045. Today’s exchanges reaffirm our shared commitment to building an inclusive and sustainable community where every ASEAN citizen can thrive.”

Presented by Temasek Foundation and Yayasan Hasanah, the ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025 also featured a distinguished gathering of ASEAN Prize Recipients and esteemed member of the ASEAN Prize Judging Committee, in a forward-looking dialogue. Under the ASEAN Prize Consortium Session, the panel discussion emphasised the region’s collective journey towards Charting ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future.

Puan Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Managing Director and Trustee of Yayasan Hasanah said, “The ASEAN Prize Symposium is an important platform to recognise and support those who are making a real difference in our region. At Yayasan Hasanah, as a catalyst and convenor, we believe that by working together and sharing ideas, we can build a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable ASEAN community.”

Simultaneously, Amrin Amin, Head of Corporate Development of the Temasek Foundation stated, “The ASEAN Prize recognises those who use their expertise to tackle the region’s most pressing issues. The ASEAN Prize Symposium brings together minds that debate with substance and act with conviction. This aligns deeply with Temasek Foundation’s purpose — connecting people, inspiring ideas, and catalysing action that improves lives across ASEAN.”

Hosted at the Jeffrey Cheah Hall Auditorium of the Sunway University, the ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025 brought together more than 200 participants, both in person and via livestream, representing a wide range of participants, comprising of students, civil societies, entities, youth leaders, and members of the diplomatic community.

Imagine an ASEAN where every young person feels their ideas matter. Where women lead in rebuilding communities. Where governments, businesses, and citizens work together, not out of obligation, but out of shared purpose,” said Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director of Sunway Centre for Planetary Health and recipient of the ASEAN Prize 2019. She added, “That is the ASEAN I believe in. One where inclusion is not an afterthought — it is the heartbeat of sustainability. Because when everyone belongs, everyone contributes.”

The ASEAN Prize Symposium 2025 successfully served as an inclusive platform for dialogue, learning, and collaboration, reflecting ASEAN’s continued commitment to engage its peoples, particularly the youth, in shaping a more inclusive, future-ready, and sustainable region.