For one week, the UGM Faculty of Law served as host for the ASEAN in Today's World (AsTW) 2025 program — a collaboration between the UGM Faculty of Law and Kyushu University, running from Monday, February 17, to Thursday, February 27, 2025.
The program aims to raise awareness of issues that are often overlooked in the ASEAN context and within the global community. More broadly, AsTW highlights the important role of youth in shaping the ASEAN Community and strengthening regional cooperation. The program is designed to deepen participants' understanding of the challenges facing the region and the wider world.
AsTW 2025 comprised three main components: Courses, Excursion, and NGO Visit. The Courses component featured academic content from speakers from Universitas Gadjah Mada and Kyushu University, addressing contemporary issues relevant to ASEAN and the international community.
Beyond the academic sessions, participants also took part in an Excursion designed to provide deeper cultural immersion. This included visits to several important historical sites in Indonesia: the Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat (Yogyakarta Royal Palace), Borobudur Temple, and Embung Kaliaji Village. These visits were intended to give participants direct experience of Indonesia's history, culture, and social fabric — and to explore their relevance to ASEAN's development.
The NGO Visit formed another important dimension of the program. Participants visited the Sapda Institute and the Centre for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada, which provided insight into the role of non-governmental organizations in addressing social and cultural challenges across ASEAN. The visits also introduced participants to the multidisciplinary approaches needed to understand the challenges faced by ASEAN member states in the context of diversity and peace.
The opening ceremony of AsTW 2025 was attended by Ms. Marisol Hernandez, Assistant Director and Head of the ASEAN Community Relations Division at the ASEAN Secretariat; Dahliana Hasan, S.H., M.Tax., Ph.D., Dean of the UGM Faculty of Law; and Prof. Kenji Iwata, Executive Vice President of Kyushu University.
"We are thrilled to welcome you all today. The Faculty of Law at Universitas Gadjah Mada is proud to be hosting the AsTW program this year. This program is a wonderful opportunity to encourage cultural exchange, deepen understanding, and build international cooperation across the ASEAN region and beyond."
AsTW 2025 is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — particularly in promoting cultural diversity, education, and global partnerships. By creating an environment for learning and collaboration, the program aims to empower the next generation of leaders to address pressing ASEAN issues and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, initiatives like AsTW play an important role in bridging cultural divides and fostering mutual understanding among diverse communities. The UGM Faculty of Law is committed to nurturing this spirit of collaboration and cultural appreciation, ensuring that participants leave the program with a richer understanding of ASEAN's complexity and the broader global landscape.
The AsTW 2025 program concluded with an awards ceremony for outstanding participants and the presentation of certificates to all participants. Also present at the closing were Prof. Natalie Konomi, Vice President of Kyushu University, and Prof. Adrianto Dwi Nugroho, S.H., Adv.LL.M., LL.D., Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Partnerships at the UGM Faculty of Law. Vietnam will serve as the host country for the next edition of the AsTW program.
The AsTW Program forms part of an annual initiative that will be hosted in various ASEAN countries, with Vietnam set to serve as the host for the following year’s program.
Author: Keynesha Aziza Himawan (AsTW 2025 Organizing Committee)
