Yogyakarta, 11th of September 2024—This year, Laos was chosen to hold the ASEAN chairmanship after the last role was given to Indonesia. When Indonesia was the chair of ASEAN, the organization has faced many developments in multiple sectors. Currently, ASEAN is experiencing a shift from a state-oriented policy into a people-oriented one. This has caused a polemic in ASEAN’s role as a regional organization, as well as its relationship with its member states.
UGM’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, as well as the ASEAN Studies Center, held a discussion regarding policy directions of the organization in the theme of “Strengthening the ASEAN Charter: Reviewing the Regional Mechanism and Public Recommendations” on Wednesday (11/9). This discussion presented three panelists from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, political and international relations experts of UGM, as well as representatives from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).