The 3rd India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) youth dialogue 2020 was held virtually on June 8-10, 2020 focusing on coronavirus pandemic. The meet has regarded the youth as “vehicles of change” who are playing a pivotal role by leading the fight against the pandemic.
- It should be noted that India has 65% of its population below 35 years i.e. the largest number of young people in the world. It has roughly more than 450 million people who are between the ages of 15-35 and expected to grow in the coming years. Also, ASEAN member nations have some of the youngest populations in the world.
–India and ASEAN boost cooperation in education, skill development during Youth Dialogue 2020
The Central elements of ASEAN-India strategic partnership are effectively and constructively channelizing the youthful energy, education and skill development. Therefore, the members have pledged to enhance the central elements during the 2020 youth dialogue.
- ASEAN is utmost for India’s “Act East Policy” and the relationship between the two sides is beyond its economic and cultural dimensions.
Efforts by India for promoting education among ASEAN
-Revival and re-establishment of Nalanda University in Bihar which offered several scholarship programs for ASEAN students in a diverse set field.
-Launching of 1,000 PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) fellowships for ASEAN students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in 2019.
- This fellowship program was announced by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on the 25th Anniversary ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in 2018 with an outlay of US$ 45 million.
-India also provided more than 1000 scholarships to students from the ASEAN countries under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) frameworks.
–Programmes currently in progress: Special Courses for Young ASEAN Diplomats, Exchange Programmes for Young Farmers, Media Exchange Programmes and Programmes for Young Parliamentarians. Around 2,500 youth from ASEAN countries are involved in these projects.
About ASEAN:
2020 Chairmanship– Vietnam
Chairman– Nguyen Xuan Phuc
Secretariat – Jakarta, Indonesia
Secretary General– H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi
Membership– 10 States ― Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 1 Observer – Papua New Guinea.
