On 2 October 2025, Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) organised the Forum on ASEAN: Shaping a More Inclusive and Sustainable Future at Hilton Kuala Lumpur. In conjunction with the forum, IDFR also launched its latest publication, ‘ASEAN 2025: Fostering Resilient and Equitable Futures Through Inclusivity and Sustainability.’ The keynote address was delivered by YB Datuk Mohamad bin Alamin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia.
The forum featured three plenary sessions: ‘Plenary Session I: ASEAN’s Security Dilemma: Can ASEAN Lead its Own Regional Order Beyond Major Power Politics?’, ‘Plenary Session II: Powering Through Uncertainty: Economic Security and ASEAN’s Role in a Fragmented Global Trade Landscape’, and ‘Plenary Session III: Inequality and Sustainable Development: Can ASEAN Build a Future for All?’
These sessions brought together distinguished panellists and moderators from the region and was attended by more than 385 participants, including government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, policymakers, subject-matter experts, think tanks, academicians, representatives of civil society organisations, and secondary school students. The participants comprised of local representatives and international participants from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, China, as well as ambassadors and high commissioners to Malaysia.
During the forum, the panellists discussed several key issues, including:
1) The need for ASEAN to remain a driving force in the regional architecture;
2) The importance of data sovereignty for ASEAN to maintain control over its own digital security as a technology user;
3) ASEAN’s centrality depends on taking action, upholding unity in diversity, and shaping outcomes so that Southeast Asia remains a player, not a pawn;
4) ASEAN’s priority to enhance the ease of doing business through streamlined regulations, trade facilitation, implementation of commitments, labour mobility, and coordinated industrial policies;
5) ASEAN’s efforts to diversify trade, drive digital transformation, and accelerate the green transition to build new competitive advantages;
6) ASEAN’s neutrality in the US-China rivalry, anchored in the principles of ZOPFAN (Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality);
7) ASEAN’s role in promoting medium to high-skilled migration through frameworks such as the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework;
8) ASEAN Vision 2045, which emphasises resilience, innovation, inclusivity, and people-centred development with clear targets and transparency; and
9) ASEAN’s recognition of digital literacy and access to technology as fundamental rights, comparable to healthcare and education.
During the forum, participants actively shared views and posed critical questions on ASEAN affairs, offering suggestions to strengthen ASEAN’s capacity as an influential regional organisation on the global stage. The programme concluded with a Closing Remarks by Dato’ Zainol Rahim Zainuddin, Director General of IDFR.
