AFF 2026 highlighted Vietnam’s growing role within the regional architecture, marking its evolution from an active participant to a proactive “agenda shaper.” By prioritizing key areas such as regional resilience, technological transformation, and innovative approaches to conflict prevention, the Forum reflected both ASEAN’s shifting strategic priorities and Vietnam’s increasing leadership in guiding regional dialogue.
Discussions throughout the Forum addressed urgent challenges and opportunities, including artificial intelligence (AI) governance, energy transition, and new economic growth models. These exchanges underscored ASEAN’s commitment to navigating global uncertainties while sustaining its centrality, cohesion, and long-term development vision.
As a long-standing contributor since the Forum’s inception, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to advancing rule-based cooperation, strengthening regional resilience, and promoting people-centered development. In his interview with Vietnam News, KAS Vietnam Resident Representative Lewe Paul emphasized that the Forum’s theme positions ASEAN as a driving force for peace and prosperity in the region, while highlighting the importance of inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement in building the ASEAN Community.
(Interview available at: https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/1782984/aff-2026-theme-positions-asean-as-the-driver-of-regional-peace-and-prosperity.html)
KAS Vietnam’s contribution was further demonstrated through its facilitation of high-level international expertise, enhancing both the depth and global relevance of policy discussions. Notably, the participation of Ms. Leonie Mader, Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at KAS Berlin, and Dr. Frederick Kliem, Director for Southeast Asia at The Economist Corporate Network, as well as Ms. Christiana Hageneder, Programme Director of the GIZ Energy Support Programme in Vietnam, provided valuable insights into two key priority areas for ASEAN: AI adoption and energy security.
Through these engagements, KAS Vietnam supported the introduction of comparative perspectives and practical policy experience across regions, contributing to more informed and solution-oriented discussions. These efforts helped strengthen ASEAN’s capacity to address complex, forward-looking challenges in a coherent and inclusive manner.
Overall, ASEAN Future Forum 2026 reaffirmed the region’s collective commitment to addressing current challenges while advancing a shared vision of a resilient, forward-looking, and people-centered ASEAN - shaped through collaboration among governments, institutions, and broader society as well as with international partners.
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About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.