22 August 2017 – Ambassador Ma. Teresita C. Daza together with the 10-member Philippine youth delegation attended the first-ever ASEAN-India Youth Summit with the theme “Shared Values, Common Destiny.” The Youth Summit was organized by the India Foundation, Ministry of External Affairs and State of Madhya Pradesh to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 14 to 18 August 2017.
The five-day Summit commenced with an Inaugural Session on 14 August 2017 with Gen. V.K. Singh, Minister of State of External Affairs as Chief Guest. The ASEAN-India Youth Summit conducted a series of parallel group discussions on innovation and entrepreneurship, digital and IT connectivity, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Polity and Governance in which were ASEAN-India youth delegations participated. Further, delegations had an opportunity to interact with the Members of the Indian Parliament on the session on Governance and Polity. There were also panel discussions on India-ASEAN Connectivity, Cultural and Civilizational Linkages, and an Ambassadors’ Panel on Trade and Commerce where Ambassador Ma. Teresita C. Daza was one of the Speakers.
In her presentation, Ambassador Daza discussed the recent developments in ASEAN-India and Philippines-India relations as well as the economic opportunities and challenges in both India and ASEAN. She also mentioned the challenges confronted by the Filipino youth and the tools to address these challenges. She highlighted the key opportunities for the youth in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), future of trade opportunities for the youth in the Philippines as well as the Philippines-India collaboration in the IT-BPO Industry.
The week-long summit witnessed country presentations from each participating delegation. The Philippine delegation comprised 10 members from various sectors of society such as politics, government, health, and student-leaders. The Philippine delegation earned a standing ovation and became crowd favorite after their interactive presentation and cultural performance. The Philippine delegation inputs were also integrated in the final version of the ASEAN-India Youth Summit-Bhopal Declaration which advocates among others, the formation of an ASEAN-India Youth Council.
On 18 August 2017, the Summit was concluded with a Valedictory Address by India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj where she quoted Lord Buddha, saying that, "there is no higher bliss than peace." She emphasized the need to empower the youth who has a critical role in preventing conflicts and ensuring sustainable peace. She also stressed that the youth are agents of change and critical actors in preventing conflict and building peace. In ending, Minister Swaraj welcomed the adoption of Bhopal Declaration which will further strengthen the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership.
