KUALA LUMPUR - Effectively addressing issues concerning the youth in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is key to ensuring stable and sustainable development in the face of new and disruptive technological developments, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said here on Thursday.

In his officiating remarks at the 46th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Anwar stressed that development must be inclusive and cautioned that neglecting youth-related issues could lead to problems that would harm national development.

"Inclusivity means that we do not represent the only elites. We represent the nation, which means the most marginalized, whether it's urban, poor or those in the rural heartland," he said.

"In every ASEAN leadership function, we have to sit down, listen to the deliberations of the youth. And the leaders have got just to eventually shut up and listen to the expressions of our young," he added.

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Anwar noted that with the rise of social media, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, the region's youth are increasingly concerned with job security, social issues, anti-corruption efforts and good governance, while social media has emerged as a powerful means to express and mobilize themselves.

"Of course, in the realm of control and influence by social media, there are times that people can be misled. Notwithstanding, it is our duty to perform the best of our ability to honor our commitment and our oath of office," Anwar said.

"We must not compromise on the issue of ridding our societies and countries of endemic corruption and abuse of power and we must make sure that we remain focused, that sustainability means economic growth but care for the welfare of our people," he added.