WHY... ASIA?
Asia is a region of immense talent, rising geopolitical influence and complexity, housing 60% of the global population and serving as a hub of economic and technological innovation. The region is undergoing rapid transformation as it emerges as a key player in a multipolar world. While parts of the Asia region, particularly South and Southeast Asia, are experiencing a youth boom, others face declining birth rates and rapidly aging populations. Together, these demographic shifts present both challenges and opportunities for future leadership. The Forum seeks to address the urgent need for regional connectivity, capacity-building, and strategic policymaking to equip emerging leaders across diverse contexts to shape the region’s evolving role in the world.
WHY... DO WE NEED NEW VOICES IN ASIA’S POLICY LANDSCAPE?
Across Asia, policymaking has often lagged behind the rapid transformations taking place in technology, governance, and society. The pressures of digitalization, climate adaptation, and urban growth require new approaches that are innovative and context specific. This fellowship seeks to address those needs by amplifying diverse perspectives, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, and connecting participants with a global network of experienced policymakers and practitioners.
At APLF, public policy is understood as the mechanism through which governments respond to societal challenges. It encompasses legal frameworks, regulatory systems, fiscal policies, and public programs. While policy ideas may originate from citizens, experts, or advocacy groups, their effectiveness depends on how leaders interpret and implement them within institutional settings.
Asia faces an especially complex set of policy challenges today. The region must manage the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies, while also addressing persistent youth unemployment, economic vulnerabilities, and geopolitical tensions. Alongside these, pressing concerns in healthcare, education, urban planning, and digital rights underline the importance of policies that are responsive, forward-looking, and socially impactful.
WHO ARE THE APLF FELLOWS?
The Asia Policy Leadership Forum (APLF) will convene 35–45 participants from key jurisdictions like Japan, Hong Kong SAR, India, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Bringing together emerging leaders alongside established policymakers and experts, the Forum advances policy innovation through a cross-ecosystem approach that engages government, civil society, the private sector, and academia.
Participants are early-to-mid-career professionals who have already demonstrated meaningful impact in technology, governance, or society. The Forum provides them with the opportunity to scale their work regionally, collaborate across sectors, and engage with senior leaders and peers in addressing the region’s most pressing policy challenges.
With an emphasis on inclusion, the Forum prioritizes participation from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups within the policy space. By amplifying diverse voices and synthesizing different knowledge systems, APLF seeks to model equitable and forward-looking leadership and to strengthen the policy ecosystem across Asia.
WHY SALZBURG GLOBAL?
Since 1947, Salzburg Global Seminar has convened open-minded leaders from around the world for breakthrough conversations on pressing global challenges. With over 40,000 Fellows from 170 countries, Salzburg Global creates spaces where diverse voices can question assumptions, embrace nuance, and shape better possibilities. For more than 75 years, our mission has remained constant: to overcome barriers and foster transformative dialogue across peace, justice, education, health, culture, and governance.
Over the past three decades, Salzburg Global has deepened its engagement across Asia, thanks to enduring partnerships with institutions such as the Japan Foundation, the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, the Nippon Foundation, and many more. Today, nearly one-sixth of our global Fellowship comes from Asia, reflecting the strength of collaborations with universities, foundations, and private sector partners across the region. Recent programs have advanced peacebuilding and bilateral cooperation in South and East Asia, explored Asia’s demographic and technological shifts, and convened leaders in cities from Seoul and Tokyo to New Delhi and Hong Kong.
Building on this foundation, Salzburg Global is uniquely placed to foster policy connections across Asia. Drawing on the success of initiatives like Public Policy New Voices Europe, our programs equip emerging leaders with mentorship, networks, and skills to scale their impact. By creating inclusive spaces that bridge age, gender, and socio-economic divides, Salzburg Global empowers participants to exchange knowledge, collaborate across sectors, and drive innovative solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges.