Secretary Tillerson Poses for a Family Photo With Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN Member States in Washington →

Secretary Kerry listens to a student explain an entrepreneurial project. Later, the Secretary attended an ASEAN Young Leaders meeting in Brunei. His opening remarks included the following message to the region’s youth:

“Sixty-five percent of ASEAN is under the age of 35 years old, so when you think about that, the future really belongs to you. You’re going to define it, and you’re going to live it, and what happens - whether it’s issues like human trafficking or environmental degradation or climate change or economic growth – are fascinating, challenging, and they are really the heart of public life and of the social fabric of each of your countries. … I’m here for a U.S.-ASEAN Summit today, and tomorrow we have an East Asia Summit. We’re going to be talking about the future and talking about the security concerns. So what do you see? I’d like to know what you see now as the greatest challenges. What do you want people in my position to be thinking about? What should we be trying to achieve together?“

Inaugural Launch of the U.S.-Brunei English Language Enrichment Project for ASEAN

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
September 7, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: We believe that learning English is a valuable tool in the 21^st century, especially here in Southeast Asia. Scientists collaborate in English. Schools and universities often share information and ideas in English. International business and commerce rely on English. And it is the operational language for ASEAN, which makes it essential for diplomacy and regional cooperation.

Now, this is not in any way to undermine the importance of national and local languages, which are rich in meaning and culture and history. But speaking English can help foster cross-cultural friendships and partnerships, because when people from different countries are able to speak the same language, they can better understand each other, avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, and try to find ways to collaborate to solve common problems. They can exchange ideas more easily about local, regional, and global trends and learn more on a personal level about each other’s lives and circumstances.

So this program is about more than learning a language. It’s about building ties of friendship, learning, cooperation, and partnership among the peoples of this diverse region. It’s about making ASEAN an even more effective and active organization. And it’s about strengthening the relationships people-to-people between ASEAN and the United States. MORE

(Source: state.gov)

Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Travels to East Asia, the Pacific, and Russia

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia, August 30-September 9.

In the Cook Islands on August 31, Secretary Clinton will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Post Forum Dialogue as part of our intensive engagement and ongoing collaboration with the Pacific Islands. Her visit will emphasize the depth and breadth of American engagement across economic, people to people, strategic, environmental, and security interests. The visit also represents a concerted effort to strengthen regional multilateral institutions, develop bilateral partnerships, and build on… more »

(Source: blogs.state.gov)