ASEAN leaders adopt Youth Development Index

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte joins the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and dialogue partners during the opening of the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City on November 13, 2017. The dialogue partners include New Zealand, Timor-Leste, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, India, China, and Japan. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Declaration on the Adoption of the ASEAN Youth Development Index (AYDI) has been adopted on Monday stressing the importance of youth development across the ASEAN region.

National Youth Commission Chair (NYC) Carina “Aiza” Seguerra said the AYDI aims to address the need of the ASEAN in profiling the region’s youth and determining areas that need further attention.

“It is not intended to compare the performance of ASEAN member states, but to provide an overview of the profile of the ASEAN youth,” she added.

In a press briefing, Seguerra said the adoption of the AYDI highlights the initiatives on ASEAN youth development anchored on education, health and well-being, employment and opportunity, participation and engagement, ASEAN awareness, and values and identity.

The AYDI also recognizes the youth’s role in the ASEAN Vision 2025, as well as the importance of regional standards allowing the measurement and monitoring of various aspects in youth development.

Citing the AYDI report, she said education in the region has remarkably improved from 2011 to 2015.

Employment and opportunity, however, still need further youth policy development.

The NYC earlier said AYDI will pave the way to the creation of more programs and projects that will help promote youth development.

“The AYDI is a first of its kind,” said Seguerra, saying that the agency remains hopeful that the new measure would provide better perspective of the youth’s aspirations.

Seguerra hopes that the adoption of the measure would lead to the formulation of more relevant policies, conceptualization of programs, projects and activities, and pursue activities that would enhance further youth development, especially in areas of economic empowerment and participation.