Angelina Jolie to Speak at ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit in Manila on November 11
Angelina Jolie will speak at the 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit in Manila on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The Academy Award winning actress and longtime humanitarian is a featured speaker at the one day gathering, where she will deliver a keynote address and join a panel discussion on Cambodia and community led resilience. The news was reported by leading Philippine outlets on November 6 and November 7, 2026, and it quickly became one of the most searched stories in the United States.
The summit will bring together business leaders, policymakers, creators, and advocates in the Philippine capital. Jolie will share the stage with Filipino Broadway star Lea Salonga, actress and advocate Kylie Verzosa, fashion designer Rajo Laurel, and Trade Secretary Cristina Roque. Her session will look back at Cambodia, a country that has shaped much of her humanitarian life, and forward to what communities can build with support, trust, and time.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
| Event | 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit, second edition |
| Location | Manila, Philippines |
| Theme | Resilient and rising |
| Hosts | Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines |
| Featured speaker | Angelina Jolie, Academy Award winning actress and humanitarian |
| Keynote title | From memory to possibility: Cambodia, courage and the power of staying |
| Panel partner | Rithy Panh, Cambodian filmmaker |
| Other speakers | Lea Salonga, Kylie Verzosa, Rajo Laurel, and Trade Secretary Cristina Roque |
| Summit focus | Empowering 70 million small enterprises in Southeast Asia |
What the Summit Is About
The 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit is the second edition of a gathering that asks how growth in Southeast Asia can reach the small businesses, workers, and communities that keep the region moving. It is hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines, and its theme for 2026 is Resilient and rising. That theme reflects a region that has faced storms, economic shocks, and rapid change, and still keeps building.
Southeast Asia is home to about 70 million small enterprises. These are family shops, market stalls, small workshops, food sellers, tailors, repair shops, online sellers, and service providers. Together they provide jobs and give millions of families a way to earn a living. Yet many still work without easy access to digital tools, fair credit, or stable supply chains. The summit focuses on three practical paths: digital transformation, financial inclusion, and sustainable supply chains. Manila is a fitting host city, with a lively small business sector and a country that knows the value of communities that rebuild together.
Jolie Keynote and Cambodia Panel
Jolie will deliver a keynote titled From memory to possibility: Cambodia, courage and the power of staying. The title points to memory, to the past that shapes a place and its people, and to possibility, to the future that can still be built. It also points to staying, to the choice to remain with a community through hard years rather than passing through for a brief visit. For an audience of business leaders and advocates, the message is clear. Real change takes time, and it takes people who stay.
After the keynote, Jolie will join a panel on Cambodia and community led resilience with Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. They worked together on the 2017 film First They Killed My Father, an adaptation of Loung Ung memoir about growing up under the Khmer Rouge. Jolie directed the film, and Panh served as a producer. It was made in Cambodia, in the Khmer language, with a Cambodian cast and crew. The panel will look at what resilience means when it is led by the community itself. For Jolie, the link is also personal. Her son Maddox was born in Cambodia, and the country has remained close to her family life for more than two decades.
A Long Humanitarian Record
Jolie humanitarian work spans more than two decades. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, known as UNHCR, from 2001 to 2012. In that role she visited refugee camps and displaced communities in more than 30 countries, listening to families who had fled war and persecution and carrying their stories to governments and the public. She later served as Special Envoy for UNHCR until 2022, working on forced displacement, statelessness, and protection for people fleeing conflict.
That record is built on field visits, not just speeches. She has traveled to places affected by war in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe, often returning to the same communities to see how they were coping months or years later. She has met women who survived violence, children who lost schooling to conflict, and families trying to rebuild with very little. She has also supported conservation work in Cambodia and health and education programs for children and families, and she has used film as a tool for memory and justice. Her message has stayed consistent. People who have suffered deserve to be heard and supported, and help should be built around their choices. That approach fits the Manila summit, where growth should start by listening to small business owners and community leaders. For more on her family story, see our report on Vivienne Jolie name change and the conversation around her children growing up in the public eye.
Other Voices on the Manila Stage
Jolie is the headline name, but she is not the only voice that will shape the day. Filipino Broadway star Lea Salonga will also speak, bringing a career that has carried Filipino talent to stages around the world. Her presence links the summit to the creative economy, to performers, designers, writers, and makers whose work is also small business work. Creative workers often face the same problems as other small enterprises: irregular income, limited access to credit, and a need for digital tools to reach audiences.
Actress and advocate Kylie Verzosa will join the program as well, adding a younger generation to the stage. Fashion designer Rajo Laurel will bring a maker perspective, speaking from inside an industry where small workshops, skilled hands, and careful sourcing decide whether a brand survives. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque will represent the Philippine government, connecting the discussion to policy, trade rules, export support, and programs that help small businesses sell beyond their home town. That trend was also visible in recent honors for women in film, including the celebration covered in our story on Salma Hayek turns 60 and the Women in Film honors on November 5.
Why This Visit Matters for Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world, with young populations, fast growing cities, and a deep tradition of trade and craft. It is also a region where growth has not always been shared fairly. In many countries, small businesses create most jobs, yet they receive the smallest share of credit, training, and technology. A summit that puts 70 million small enterprises at the center is trying to correct that imbalance, and a high profile speaker like Jolie helps bring world attention to it.
Her visit also matters because of timing. The region faces pressure from climate change, rising costs, and shifts in global trade. Small businesses feel those pressures first. A typhoon can close a shop for weeks. A rise in fuel prices can eat into a delivery budget. For Cambodia, the panel carries special meaning. The country has rebuilt itself with remarkable determination, and its artists and community leaders have played a large part in that rebuilding. A panel led by Jolie and Panh puts Cambodian resilience on a regional stage. Readers interested in how other stars have built lasting careers around purpose can also explore our Selena Gomez biography, which traces a path from child stardom to business and advocacy.
What to Expect on November 11
On Wednesday, November 11, the summit will open in Manila with a full day of talks, panels, and conversations. Jolie keynote is expected to be one of the most watched moments of the day, followed by her panel with Rithy Panh. The program will also include sessions on digital tools for small businesses, access to finance, and supply chains that work for producers as well as buyers. Attendees will include business owners, founders, investors, officials, and community leaders from across ASEAN.
For those following from outside Manila, coverage from Philippine outlets and international media is expected to share key quotes and moments through the day. The announcement was reported on November 6 and November 7, 2026 by outlets including Rappler, GMA News, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and PhilSTAR Life, and Jolie quickly became the number one trending search in the United States. Listeners should take three lessons from her appearance: memory matters, courage is often quiet, and staying is a choice with power. The summit will not solve every problem in a single day, but it can connect people, share practical ideas, and remind leaders that growth must include the smallest shops as well as the largest firms.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Angelina Jolie speak in Manila
Angelina Jolie will speak at the 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit in Manila on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. She will deliver a keynote and join a panel on Cambodia and community led resilience.
What is the title of Angelina Jolie keynote
Her keynote is titled From memory to possibility: Cambodia, courage and the power of staying. It reflects her long connection to Cambodia and the theme of communities that rebuild and grow over time.
Who will join Angelina Jolie on the Cambodia panel
She will join Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. Panh worked with Jolie as a producer on the 2017 film First They Killed My Father, and the panel will focus on Cambodia and community led resilience.
Who else is speaking at the summit
Other speakers include Lea Salonga, Kylie Verzosa, Rajo Laurel, and Trade Secretary Cristina Roque. The summit is hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines.
Sources
- The Business Manual: Angelina Jolie ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit 2026
- Screencap: Jolie and Salonga headline 2026 ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit
- AceShowbiz: Angelina Jolie to speak at ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit
Final Thoughts
Angelina Jolie trip to Manila is more than a celebrity appearance. It is a meeting between a humanitarian with more than two decades of field work and a region trying to make growth reach its smallest businesses. Her keynote on memory, courage, and staying, and her panel with Rithy Panh on Cambodia, bring a human story to a business summit, and they remind the audience that numbers alone do not tell the full story of progress.
On November 11, the summit will ask its guests to think about resilience in practical terms. Digital tools that help a shop owner take a payment. Fair credit that lets a maker buy materials. Supply chains that treat small producers with respect. Jolie presence helps carry those ideas further. Growth works best when it includes everyone, when it listens to communities, and when it stays for the long term.
