Strengthening dialogue in a fractured region

The protracted wars and persistent flashpoints across Asia and in many parts of the world continue to carry grave political, humanitarian, and economic consequences.

- JOSE DE VENECIA JR. FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

These conflicts, some frozen and others tragically escalating, obstruct our region’s progress and endanger the stability on which prosperity depends. In an interconnected global economy, violence anywhere ripples everywhere—raising energy and food prices, disrupting supply chains, discouraging investments, and straining public resources. Ultimately, it is the ordinary people who bear the burden—workers, farmers, small entrepreneurs, families seeking security and opportunity.

While regional and global institutions have long worked to promote peace, the complexity of today’s challenges underscores the need to strengthen and augment these efforts. Peace is not only a moral aspiration but an economic necessity. When nations coexist peacefully, governments can shift resources from conflict to education, health, infrastructure,social protection, and other initiatives that uplift communities and expand opportunities.