India-ASEAN Youth Dialogue 2020 held online from June 8-10 amid COVID-19 pandemic

During the third India-ASEAN youth dialogue that was held from June 8 to 10, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged to enhance cooperation in ways to effectively and constructively channelising youthful energy. According to reports, the dialogue took place online and primarily revolved around the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world.

The optimal use of ASEAN's growing youthful population

As per reports, the dialogue established that the revival and re-establishment of Nalanda University in Bihar as a seat of learning was a big step in the direction towards channelising youthful energy. The university also offers several scholarship programs for ASEAN students in a diverse set field. The dialogue also acknowledged the launching of 1,000 PhD fellowships for ASEAN students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

During the India-ASEAN dialogue, it was noted that the youth are playing a pivotal role as well as leading the fight against the pandemic. According to reports, the dialogue noted that the current pandemic has caused several problems and increased the burden and responsibilities of governments but stated that its also provides opportunities that should not be missed by the youth of India and ASEAN member nations.

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Read: ASEAN Members To Work Together On Disrupted Trade

India as well as ASEAN member nations have some of the most young populations in the world. India alone has roughly more than 450 million people who are between the ages of 15-35 meaning that it has the largest number of young people in the world. The statistic of young people is only expected to grow in the coming years.

According to reports, the dialogue also highlighted several other youth-centric initiatives that are currently still in progress, such as special Courses for Young ASEAN Diplomats, Exchange Programmes for Young Farmers', Media Exchange Programmes and Programmes for Young Parliamentarians. Some 2,500 youth from ASEAN countries are involved in these projects.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the current ASEAN-India Dialogue was taking forward the legacy of the previous ASEAN-India Youth summits held in 2017 and 2019 which also provided a much-needed platform for constructive and impactful dialogue.

Read: ASEAN Economic Ministers Meet To Discuss COVID-19

Read: China Willing To Share Virus Info With ASEAN

(Representational Image - ANI)