Held in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 7^th to 11^th, 2008, the 9^th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) united twenty-eight talented student delegates from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The HYLI’s key objective is to encourage potential young leaders by offering them an opportunity to test their views and opinions on current issues with potential regional and global ramifications against prominent and inspiring leaders of today. Approximately 600 people attended the event. They included businesspeople, government officials, academics, and university students.

Each HYLI event helps expand the support network among student delegates, benefiting both new members and the Asian region in the long term. With over 200 alumni, HYLI continues to support this development.

HYLI 2008 Student Delegates’ Learning Journey

The theme "Strengthening Asian Partnerships – Economic Integration and Energy Management," with the two sub-themes below were discussed at the HYLI event.

• 1) Formulating an East Asian Economic Community – Challenges and opportunities
• 2) Energy management for economic growth and environmental sustainability in East Asia

During HYLI week, the student delegates participated in two forum sessions, a series of closed-door workshop discussions, a press conference, and a community project. They proposed the following collective recommendations for a brighter Asia.

Economic sub-theme: Formulating an East Asian Economic Community – Challenges and opportunities
They devised solutions to help answer questions such as:

• What should the goals of economic cooperation in the region be?
• How should economic integration proceed?
• What kind of relationships are desirable with the EU and the US?

The recommendations are:

• Bridging the economic gap through a sustainable, long-term integration plan.
• Boosting FDIs within East Asia to enhance efficiency and expand regional markets ahead of the Western counterparts.
• Encouraging nations to actively promote the effective use of free trade agreements.
• Establishing a permanent body to handle policymaking and dispute resolution.

Energy sub-theme: Energy management for economic growth and environmental sustainability in East Asia
The steady rise in energy consumption has contributed to environmental problems. The 9th HYLI sought a balance between energy, environmental, and economic factors. Recommendations include:

• Managing energy with a focus on social, political, cultural, technological, and economic aspects.
• Strengthening transparency, checks and balances, and empowering the ASEAN body to enforce regulations and penalties.
• Developing an integrated approach to conservation, diversification, and regional energy supply and demand management.