From October 2 to 6, dozens of students age 18 to 25 from 30 different universities across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region joined the “Coaching Workshop on ASEAN” and “Simulation of ASEAN Meetings” to learn about ASEAN protocols and operations as part of the second annual ASEAN Foundation Model ASEAN Meeting. This year’s theme was the protection and promotion of migrant workers’ rights.

Ten academic advisors divided the students into 11 groups, 10 representing one of the ASEAN member states and one representing the ASEAN Secretariat. They were assigned different nationalities so they could gain perspective on the different views and positions of national governments. Students role-played as senior officials during meetings pertaining to labor migration to experience how ASEAN senior officials deliberate.

“For ASEAN countries, I believe we are struggling with similar issues, so it is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and calibrate ideas on how to resolve issues related to migrant workers and enhance security and stability in the region,” said Chanthida Banmanivomg, a law and political science student from the National University of Lao PDR.

“On behalf of the U.S. Government, we are pleased to be supporting the 2nd Regional Model ASEAN Meeting in Vientiane, the site of the ASEAN Summit just a few weeks ago,” said USAID Asia-Regional Development Assistance Coordinator Miki Scheidel. “You will have the chance to study the policy positions of ASEAN Member States on the topic of migration and to build networks with your peers from across the region. You will also gain the experience of role-playing high-level officials and defending positions in debates and discourse.”

The workshops, supported through USAID and the U.S. State Department, were conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Foreign Affairs under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR in Vientiane.