14th Southeast Asia Network Forum held in Malaysia (16 October 2019)

The 14th Southeast Asia Network Forum, in conjunction with the 5th International Sustainable Technology Energy and Civilization Conference (ISTECC 2019), took place on 16 October at the Putrajaya Marriot Hotel in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Launched in 2015, the Network Forum is held in ASEAN countries by Kyoto University and local alumni with the aim of sharing the University's latest academic achievements with communities throughout the region, focusing on topics of local interest.

The 14th Southeast Asia Network Forum was hosted by the Kyoto Alumni Association Malaysia (MYKYOTO) in cooperation with Pertubuhan Legasi Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (LEGASI, an NGO which supports academic activities and makes policy proposals), Himpunan Alumni Kyoto University (HAKU, Kyoto University's Indonesian alumni association), SustaiN Society, and Kyoto University's ASEAN Center and Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI). Over 100 people attended from various universities, government agencies, and private companies in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.

The forum opened with remarks from Dr Muhammad Hakimi Bin Mohd Shafiai, the chair of MYKYOTO, and Dr Kayo Inaba, Kyoto University's executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations. The opening remarks were followed by a special lecture entitled "Look East Policy 2.0: Current Direction", by Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Syed Hamid bin Syed Jaafar Albar, the former foreign minister of Malaysia.

This lecture was followed by two keynote speeches, delivered by Professor Masahiro Chigira of DPRI and Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, the deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. A panel discussion was then held on the topic of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the context of Asia.

A roundtable session was held in the afternoon to exchange ideas on future directions of collaboration. The participants reaffirmed the importance of maintaining Kyoto University's alumni networks not only in individual countries, but also for the ASEAN region as a whole. It was also agreed that the 16th Southeast Asian Network Forum would be held in Indonesia in collaboration between MYKYOTO, HAKU, SustaiN Society, and Kyoto University in mid- to late-2020.