III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 392 

Recognizing the importance of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative 

to the relationship between the United States and the member states 

of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and to advancing the 

policy of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 31, 2019 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. GARDNER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. 

YOUNG, and Ms. DUCKWORTH) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 3, 2020 

Reported by Mr. RISCH, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

JUNE 16, 2020 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of the Young Southeast Asian 

Leaders Initiative to the relationship between the United 

States and the member states of the Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations and to advancing the policy 

of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Whereas the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative 

(YSEALI) was created in 2013 to build a cadre of 

emerging leaders in member states of the Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with the goal of fosVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:28 Jun 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR392.ATS SR392

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SRES 392 ATS 

tering regional cooperation and partnership with the 

United States; 

Whereas YSEALI is composed of influential young leaders 

between 18 and 35 years of age from ASEAN countries 

(Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, 

the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and 

Timor-Leste who are making a difference in their communities, countries, and the region; 

Whereas 65 percent of the population of the ASEAN region 

is under 35 years of age, and these 400,000,000 youth 

will determine the future of the region for decades to 

come; 

Whereas YSEALI aims to further strengthen the enduring 

partnership between the United States and ASEAN; 

Whereas YSEALI bolsters the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community pillar that seeks to build a people-centered, people-oriented ASEAN community, as reiterated at the 

52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bangkok in 

July 2019; 

Whereas YSEALI encourages its leaders to partner with each 

other and the United States Government to address common challenges, including economic growth, sustainable 

development, education, and civic engagement; 

Whereas YSEALI academic and professional exchange programs in the United States allow visiting leaders to experience the culture and values of the United States firsthand, while establishing personal and professional ties to 

experts, institutions, organizations, companies, and local 

governments in the United States; 


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SRES 392 ATS 

Whereas participants in YSEALI exchanges, upon returning 

to their countries, help promote a positive understanding 

of the United States; 

Whereas YSEALI allows United States experts to visit 

ASEAN countries to share their expertise and work with 

YSEALI alumni on projects that advance common goals; 

Whereas YSEALI programs in the Indo-Pacific region build 

the capacity of civil society in the fields of human rights, 

good governance, anti-corruption and transparency, social 

entrepreneurship, and media literacy, which are key to 

the Indo-Pacific efforts of the United States Government; 

Whereas YSEALI programming increases the visibility of the 

United States in the Indo-Pacific region; 

Whereas, in seven years, YSEALI has grown into a thriving 

community of more than 5,000 alumni and more than 

140,000 virtual network participants; 

Whereas YSEALI alumni are already distinguishing themselves as influential government officials, entrepreneurs, 

human rights activists, journalists, social entrepreneurs, 

and educators; 

Whereas outstanding YSEALI alumni include two former 

Malaysian cabinet ministers and a Pulitzer Prize-winning 

Burmese journalist imprisoned for investigating human 

rights violations against the Rohingya; 

Whereas YSEALI alumni are valuable partners to embassies 

and agencies of the United States overseas; 

Whereas the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public 

Law 115–409; 132 Stat. 5387) (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘ARIA’’) emphasized the importance of 

ASEAN to the United States and supported the elevation 


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of the relationship between the United States and 

ASEAN to a strategic partnership; and 

Whereas ARIA authorized $25,000,000 to be appropriated 

for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to support 

Indo-Pacific young leaders initiatives, including YSEALI, 

the ASEAN Youth Volunteers Program, and other people-to-people exchange programs that focus on building 

the capacity of democracy, human rights, and good governance activists in the Indo-Pacific region: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) celebrates the partnership of the United 

3 States with young leaders in Southeast Asia; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of the Young 

5 Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) to— 

6 (A) advancing the soft power of the United 

7 States in Southeast Asia; and 

8 (B) promoting human rights, democracy, 

9 and good governance in the Indo-Pacific region; 

10 (3) emphasizes the key role of YSEALI in— 

11 (A) strengthening the relationship of the 

12 United States with the member states of the 

13 Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

14 (ASEAN); and 

15 (B) elevating the profile and standing of 

16 the United States as a major partner in the re17 gion; 


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1 (4) stresses the importance of YSEALI in 

2 building leadership capacity among civil society, gov3 ernments, and private enterprises in ASEAN mem4 ber states and across Southeast Asia; and 

5 (5) encourages the Department of State to pro6 mote the YSEALI program to the maximum extent 

7 possible as a valuable tool to advance mutually bene8 ficial cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific 

9 region. 

Æ 


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