The Young Indo-Pacific Forum (YIPF)
The first conference for and by European and Asian youth centering on the Indo-Pacific. We create an annual platform for global experts and youth to engage in forward-looking dialogue.
What is the Young Indo-Pacific Forum?
In 2021, the EU published a Strategy for Cooperation with the Indo-Pacific, acknowledging the region’s geopolitical importance due to its growing economic, demographic and political weight, making it a key player in shaping the international order and addressing global challenges. Rising geopolitical competition and tensions particularly surrounding trade and security led the EU to step up strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific.
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The EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy was the jumping-off point for the Young Indo-Pacific Forum. Founded in 2021 by three youth think tanks, the Student Think Tank for Europe-Asia Relations (STEAR), Polis180 and European Guanxi, the YIP Forum aims to provide a cross-continental platform for youth to exchange ideas, foster a broader understanding of the EU’s interactions with the Indo-Pacific region and look at ways to further the relationship between both regions.
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Through the YIPF, we aim to promote a broader understanding of the EU’s interactions with the Indo-Pacific region, and to look ahead at the direction in which key relationships between the EU and Indo-Pacific states will develop. Moreover, we believe in fostering an inclusive and interactive exchange between stakeholders and the young generations of both continents. The challenges concerning the Indo-Pacific region are plenty, often intersecting with the EU’s interests at home and abroad.
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The Young Indo-Pacific Forum 2022 -
Hybrid Threats
2022 celebrated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of a Dialogue Partnership between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), resulting in the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit on December 14. Organised in margin of the Summit, the Young Indo-Pacific Forum 2022 (YIPF 2022) took place in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation and the Multinational Development Policy Dialogue of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung as a six day hybrid event from December 9th to 14th in Brussels, Belgium and online.
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The Young Indo-Pacific Forum 2022 invited a total of 50 youth participants aged 18 to 30 from across Europe and Asia to Brussels. During the first days, they attended a series of panel talks and discussions that focused on five key areas based on the EU Indo-Pacific Strategy published in autumn 2021: security, technology, human rights, trade and climate change.
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They had the opportunity to (1) gain a deeper understanding of European identity, policymaking and cooperation around the Indo-Pacific region and hybrid threats, to (2) establish first-hand connections with fellow youth and European stakeholders by attending the SHARE and EU-ASEAN Youth Summit, and eventually, to (3) make their voices heard during the Opening Ceremony of the first EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit.
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Twenty-four of the participants were granted full ride scholarships to attend the event, making it possible for youth from various geographical and economic backgrounds to join and share their unique perspectives. A workshop session brought together the collective insights and policy suggestions from the 50 youth delegates that emerged from the discussions at the Young Indo-Pacific Forum and have been summarised in the communiqué below.
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Advocacy efforts with the 2022 communiqué are ongoing. A video message summarizing our demands and policy recommendations was played in front of EU and ASEAN stakeholders at the Opening Ceremony of the first Commemorative EU-ASEAN Summit celebrating 45 years of EU-ASEAN relations. Our comprehensive policy recommendations resulting from the knowledge building phase will further function as a base to spread our views and values, creating a long lasting policy impact.
The Young Indo-Pacific Forum 2021
The inaugural edition of the Young Indo-Pacific Forum took place online from November 26 to November 28, 2021, and was organised with the support of several other youth-led think tanks from across Europe and Asia. Over 300 young people came together to discuss the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy across five focus areas: security & geopolitics, climate change & green recovery, technology & digitisation, human rights & migration, and trade & beyond. Based on the panel discussions, the participants put forward policy recommendations which were collated and published in a joint communiqué.
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To ensure that youth voices are heard by leaders and decision makers, the communiqué was subsequently presented to policymakers at the three central political institutions in Brussels, among others:
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The Council of the European Union: The Cabinet of Charles Michel through the Foreign Policy Advisors Ms. Mara Steinberga
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The European Commission: The Cabinet of Commissioner Urpilainen (DG INTPA for International Partnerships) through Mr. Arto Virtanen and Mr. Olai Voionmaa
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The European Parliament: The EU Delegation to ASEAN through Antoine Ripoll (Director, DG External Policies) and Jim Maher
