RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — Deputy Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP DPR RI), Bramantyo Suwondo, emphasized the vital role of young people in shaping the future of Indonesia and ASEAN. Bramantyo said ASEAN’s population is largely made up of young people, making investment in education, leadership development, and youth participation in regional forums a strategic priority.

“Young people are the future of Indonesia and the ASEAN region. We need to set real examples and open up the widest possible space for them to grow,” Bramantyo said, as quoted from the official DPR RI website on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

He made the statement during a best-practice sharing session at The 3rd Consultative Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, or YPA, in Jakarta. The forum carried the theme “ASEAN Youth: Strengthening Solidarity and Empowering Future-Ready Leaders.”

Bramantyo said one concrete effort to strengthen youth capacity is carried out through the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, or AIPA, including its Model AIPA program. “At AIPA, there is a model that enables young people to learn diplomacy, engage in cross-country dialogue, and visit campuses. This is important to provide exposure to global leadership,” he said.

He added that wider opportunities for interaction, whether through campuses, schools, or international forums, would help strengthen young people’s leadership and organizational skills. BKSAP DPR RI, he said, also continues to involve stakeholders, particularly academics and students, to make diplomacy more accessible and relevant to young people.

“We want diplomacy not to feel distant, but instead to have a direct impact on young people. They need to understand global challenges and work together to find solutions,” Bramantyo said.

Moreover, he also highlighted youth issues and digital literacy as shared regional agendas, noting that social media and virtual meeting platforms can help strengthen cross-border dialogue. “We can use technology such as social media and online meetings to build constructive forums. This is an effective way to strengthen collaboration among ASEAN youth,” he said.

Bramantyo expressed hope that more frequent dialogue and cross-generational engagement would strengthen ASEAN’s youth identity, describing young people as the region’s main strength for the future.