ASEAN Future Sustainable Leadership (AFSL) 2025 Competition 

The ASEAN Future Sustainable Leadership (AFSL) 2025 Competition was successfully held at Universitas Terbuka (UT) in Tangerang, Indonesia, on 7 November 2025. This biennial event, organized by the ASEAN Accounting Education Workgroup (AAEW), carried the theme “Empowering ASEAN Youth for a Sustainable Future: Innovation, Collaboration, and Community Action.”

The competition was officially opened by Prof. Ali Muktiyanto, Rector of Universitas Terbuka, followed by a keynote address from Prof. Rozainun Binti Ab Aziz, President of AAEW. The event also featured influential speakers from across the region who discussed the latest sustainability challenges and the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence in sustainability reporting.

Representatives from AAEW member universities across six ASEAN countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia—participated in an international seminar that complemented the competition.

A total of nine student teams presented innovative sustainability projects developed in their home countries. After a dynamic and inspiring competition, the winners were announced as follows:

🏆 AFSL 2025 Competition Winners

Junior Category

• 1st Place: SMAN 1 Klaten, Indonesia

• 2nd Place: SMAN 4 Jakarta, Indonesia

Senior Category

• 1st Place: Team UTBD, Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia

• 2nd Place: Team CocoCatch, De La Salle University–Dasmariñas, Philippines

• 3rd Place: Team Catch to Coast, Central Philippine University, Philippines

In addition to the competition and seminar, Universitas Terbuka hosted community service activities and a vibrant cultural event where students showcased talents in singing, dancing, and multimedia cultural presentations. These activities fostered strong friendships among accounting students across ASEAN while deepening their understanding of sustainability practices and artificial intelligence.

The AFSL 2025 Competition was followed by the 18th AAEW Meeting on 8 November, where member institutions discussed upcoming initiatives, collaborative research opportunities, and preparations for the next AAEW meeting in Malaysia and the AFSL 2027 Competition in Singapore.