The world is currently off track with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and Southeast Asia is no exception. With only about 35% of the targets on track or making modest gains (UN, 2025), the region must accelerate its efforts, especially on the social SDGs: no poverty, zero hunger, and good health and well-being.

Across a region of more than 670 million people, complex challenges exist. Food prices remain high. Climate-related disasters are increasing-bringing more deaths, displacement, and disruption. At the same time, many communities continue to struggle with access to quality education and maternal health services.

These challenges are made even more difficult by today's global environment. Rising geopolitical tensions, protectionism, and economic uncertainty are slowing cooperation and limiting the resources needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Against this backdrop, can we get the SDGs back on track? And what will it take to accelerate progress by 2030? In this session, we will focus on these urgent pressure points and explore how ASEAN can strengthen collaboration to deliver real progress where it matters most.

Southeast Asia is stepping into a major digital opportunity. With initiatives like the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement and the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2026-2030, the region is aiming for a more connected, borderless digital economy.

At the center of it all are MSMEs-more than 70 million businesses driving growth, creating jobs, and supporting around 85% of total employment.

Southeast Asia's digital economy is already on track to triple, from around $300 billion today to nearly $1 trillion by 2030. With the right policies in place, that growth could go even further, unlocking up to $2 trillion in value across the region.

The question remains: what does it actually look like on the ground? Can MSMEs keep up with the pace of digital transformation? And can this opportunity truly be realized across the region?

Southeast Asia's energy future is being shaped by rising risks, from global supply disruptions to intensifying climate impacts that are already affecting livelihoods, infrastructure, and economic stability.

Today, nearly 80% of ASEAN's energy still comes from fossil fuels, leaving the region highly exposed to volatile global markets, while energy demand is projected to more than double by 2050.

Yet a more secure pathway is within reach: renewable energy is now often the cheapest source of new power globally and can be produced domestically, reducing dependence on imports and external shocks.

This session asks a critical question: how can ASEAN turn the energy transition into a strategy for resilience, building systems that are not only cleaner, but more stable, secure, and equitable for its people?

In 1967, ASEAN's founding fathers envisioned a region grounded in five key principles: independence, unity, neutrality, cooperation, and shared growth.

Today, ASEAN has grown into a community of 11 nations representing over 670 million people. Yet, as geopolitical rivalries intensify and the global order becomes increasingly uncertain, ASEAN faces a new set of challenges-both within the region and beyond.

Can ASEAN maintain its strategic autonomy in an increasingly polarized world? How should it respond to evolving geopolitical dynamics while remaining cohesive and effective? And ultimately, what do these shifts mean for the people of ASEAN?

This session will explore how ASEAN can navigate a changing world while remaining relevant, responsive, and grounded in the needs and aspirations of its people.

ASEAN Vision 2045 envisions a region that is resilient, innovative, and people-centred. While this has long been ASEAN's aspiration, fewer than one in three citizens fully understand what ASEAN does.

Across hundreds of high-level meetings each year, public participation remains limited. What does it truly take to build a people-centred ASEAN, and how do we get there?

In this last discussion of the ASEAN Community Town Hall, we will explore actionable pathways for bridging this divide and ensuring the region's future is driven by the needs of its people.