SAYEF 2025: Empowering the Next Generation with Youth Declaration on Energy and Climate Action

The first Southeast Asia Youth Declaration on Energy and Climate was adopted at SAYEF 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. SAYEF (Southeast Asia Youth Energy Forum) is an annual youth conference which follows the ASEAN Chairmanship, with the next SAYEF planned for the Philippines in late 2026.

This declaration calls for an intergenerational approach for a just and sustainable energy transition by 2030, witnessed by YB Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah bin Mohd Nasir, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) Malaysia, Ms. Hee En Qi, Press Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government Malaysia, Mr. Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, Executive Director, President’s Office, Sunway Group, and Prof. Dr Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam, Provost & Deputy Vice Chancellor, Sunway University.

SAYEF 2025

SAYEF 2025, hosted by Youth for Energy Southeast Asia (Y4E-SEA), brought together seven keynote speakers, 23 panelists, three finalists of the Urban Energy Youth Academic Essay Competition, and 20 youth leaders from across the region to discuss the future of energy sustainability in Southeast Asia.

Across the forum and pre-forum events, SAYEF 2025 has engaged over 2,000 participants. The forum was co-organized by the Society of Renewable Energy (SRE), Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI), the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), and media partnership with EcoCupid and Green Network Asia. The venue was sponsored by Sunway University.

The three-day forum opened with welcoming remarks from Ms. Amira Bilqis, Co-founder and Managing Director of Y4E-SEA, who stressed the need for intergenerational collaboration and structured pathways for policy engagement. In his Special Remarks, YB Lee Chean Chung, Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya and Authority Member of Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), emphasized the importance of regional collaboration and having youths involved as key stakeholders in safeguarding our collective future.

“Our challenge in this generation is not only transforming energy systems but also leadership style,” noted Danial Rahman, CEO of ASLI.

Youth-Led Contributions

Policy workshops and an ideation lab held during SAYEF 2025 produced actionable proposals on accelerating clean energy transitions, enhancing inclusivity, and strengthening regional collaboration. The project proposal from the Ideation Lab, together with the policy recommendations from the Policy Workshop, reflects the collective vision and recommendations of youth to accelerate the clean energy transition, promote inclusivity, and strengthen regional collaboration, including:

• Adopt a more holistic energy policy approach, transitioning away from purely techno-economic analysis to incorporate in-depth social and environmental consideration, including intergenerational consideration as impacts and burdens are distributed to future generations.
• Institutionalize the role of youth as equal partners in decision-making and empower youth-led initiatives by creating structured and influential avenues for their engagement at all stages of the energy transition, from agenda-setting and policy formulation to implementation and evaluation.

The outputs of SAYEF 2025 and the conclusion of the Southeast Asia Youth Energy Declaration will be showcased at the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) back-to-back with the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) from 14 – 17 October 2025.

Editor: Kresentia Madina & Nazalea Kusuma

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Youth for Energy Southeast Asia

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Youth for Energy Southeast Asia (Y4E-SEA) is a youth-led network committed to accelerating the clean energy transition in the region. Through advocacy, education, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, Y4E-SEA empowers young people to become active leaders in advancing sustainable and inclusive energy futures.

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