(AseanAll)  — The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Myanmar on November 30,2024 chaired the Thirteenth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY XIII) and Related Meetings with attendance of ASEAN Member States and Partner Organisations.

Bringing together youth ministers and senior officials from AMS and Plus Three Countries, the Meeting focused on the theme “Encouraging Youths’ Contribution Towards a Cohesive Society in ASEAN”. ASEAN Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing youth engagement and contribution to building a responsive ASEAN Community. The meeting calls for more comprehensive cooperation in advancing capacity of ASEAN youth including reskilling and upskilling, green and digital skills for future ready ASEAN labour markets. Through the meeting, the Philippines as the incoming Chair of AMMY, announced that the AMMY XIV and Related Meetings will be tentatively held in June 2026.

Aligned with Myanmar’s Chairmanship theme this year, MinnThein Zan, Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Myanmar, in his capacity as the Chair of AMMY, shared in his remarks, “through cultivating mutual understanding, tangible and intangible connection among diverse ASEAN youth and fostering appreciation of ASEAN shared values, norms and identity among youths are the major driven forces for the realization of socially cohesive and integrated ASEAN Community.”

The Ninth ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meeting on Youth (9th AMMY+3) held on 29 November 2024, was co-chaired by Myanmar and China. The meeting highlighted the importance of deeper engagement with the three partners in advancing youth development across the region. Across all meetings, Youth Ministers and Leaders stressed the need for expanded and impactful cooperation programmes and collaborative initiatives that can provide young people with diverse opportunities to learn, innovate and contribute to regional peace and prosperity. The meeting welcomed the Philippines along with Japan as the incoming Co-Chairmanship of AMMY+3 in 2026.

The open session of the meeting noted the contributions of the partner organisations to the implementation of the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021-2025 and emphasised the need to engage with youth partner organisations in the completion of the remaining projects and activities under the current Work Plan. These are embodied in the Joint Statements for AMMY XIII and 9th AMMY+3. Looking ahead, ASEAN Leaders reiterated their steadfast commitment to enhance the meaningful contribution of young people in building our expected ASEAN Community.