Jabartoday.com – Bogor. The National Youth Council (NYC) Indonesia, together with the Komite Nasional Pemuda Indonesia (KNPI) and the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization (NAMYO), held The Ambassador Summit 2025 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference. This international event featured Ambassadors from Asian and African countries, Regional Heads, Academics, Members of Parliament, Youth Leaders, and Businesspersons.
The President of NYC Indonesia, Tantan Taufik Lubis, stated that The Ambassador Summit was held from November 20-23, 2025, with a variety of programs including an International Seminar, Youth Summit, Cultural Parade, Retracing the Steps of the Asia-Africa Conference, and a Culinary Festival. This event collaborated with the West Java Provincial Government and the Bogor City Government. It also partnered with OIC Youth Indonesia, the Asia Muslim Youth Network, and the World NYC Federation, as well as several Indonesian universities such as Universitas Jakarta, Universitas Krishnadwipayana, IPB University, Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Indonesia, Al-Azhar University, Islamic University of Bandung, and the Darul Ulum Islamic Boarding School.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Bogor, Dedie A. Rachim, said that The Ambassador Summit aims to commemorate the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference (AAC), the preparations for which were conducted in Bogor City. This retracing of steps is part of an effort to remind the world that the AAC was initially conceived in Bogor City the year before, in December 1954.
“But before the Asia-Africa Conference, on December 28-29, 1954, there was what was called the Bogor Conference. Well, it was the points from this Bogor Conference meeting that later gave rise to the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in April 1955,” he explained.
On the other hand, the Head of the Regional Autonomy Bureau for West Java Province, Muhammad Faiz, explained that The Ambassador Summit could serve as an instrument to explore West Java’s economic potential and make it a pillar of the nation’s economy. International trade must be strengthened through collaboration with Asian and African countries.
The Ambassador Summit 2025 emerges as a strategic forum promoting open discussion formats, bringing together cross-sectoral stakeholders to highlight West Java’s economic and investment potential. Through in-depth and interactive dialogue, this forum is expected to build constructive public opinion while strengthening West Java’s position as one of the national economic growth engines. Furthermore, as part of the Road to the 2026 Asia-Africa Conference (AAC) series, this event not only showcases business and investment opportunities but also reaffirms West Java’s commitment to building sustainable partnerships.
Regarding The Ambassador Summit 2025 – Road to the 71st Asia-Africa Conference, the Ambassador of Mozambique, Belmiro Jose Malate, stated that the event must be a vehicle to continue upholding the spirit of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism as championed at the AAC.
“We still face the same challenges today; colonialism is gone, but imperialism still exists. We still have to fight. We still have to develop our economies, develop our children, and (we) still have a very important agenda to implement,” he said.
The Ambassador of Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Talip Kucukcan, said that through the spirit of development and South-South Cooperation, it can positively impact the welfare of the people, not only in Indonesia or Asia-Africa, but also the world. Therefore, he believes this spirit must still be maintained today.
“The ultimate goal of South-South Cooperation is the welfare of the people, the welfare of the world. So that is what we must always champion – that there were people in the past who had already thought about how a nation is formed and the goals of a nation must be guarded together,” he said.
A similar sentiment was expressed by the Political Consul of the Embassy of India, Vikram Vardhan. Vikram Vardhan said the spirit of the AAC must be maintained to this day. Because after the AAC took place, many countries in Asia and Africa gained their independence.
“After the Bandung Conference, we saw many developing countries and many countries in Asia and Africa gaining their independence,” said Vikram Vardhan.
Meanwhile, Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Prof. Dr. Rokhmin Dahuri, also assessed that the spirit of the Bandung AAC must still be maintained today. Especially since, in his view, many developed countries are applying double standards to humanitarian issues even though the facts are very clear. “(The spirit of the AAC) is still very relevant,” said Rokhmin.
Rokhmin believes that currently, the world needs to pay attention to all aspects of human life. The reason is that the rates of hunger and poverty in the world are still very high. Therefore, cross-country collaboration is needed to unravel the problems being faced.
Meanwhile, the Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Prof. Fekadu Beyene Aleka, explained that this South-South Cooperation must become the foundation for Asian and African countries to jointly develop economic cooperation and realize the welfare of the people in their respective countries. The spirit of the Asia-Africa Conference must not become mere lip service and jargon, but must be implemented to achieve economic justice, public welfare, and world peace, he concluded. [roes]
