Forum calls for social issues to be included in ASEM
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi
The ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) People's Forum (AEPF) urged the governments of Asia and Europe on Thursday to establish a social forum, which in turn would contribute to the building of an Asian-European partnership and interaction with the official ASEM process.
The statement, which also contained recommendations on three major discussion themes: Peace and Security, Economic and Social Security, and Democratization and People's Rights, was issued on Thursday at the end of the three-day forum. The forum is part of the ASEM Summit, which will be held in Hanoi next month, and is intended to promote the role of civil society in the cooperation between the two continents.
"The AEPF calls for fundamental changes in Asia-Europe relations so that the necessary steps can be taken toward establishing a just and equal world where people's rights, sustainable economic and social development, and people-centered security dominate," the statement said.
It urged the governments of Asia and Europe to set up the social forum before the sixth ASEM Summit in 2006, to be held in Helsinki.
The social forum issue was discussed at a workshop on Wednesday on the social responsibility of ASEM. The suggestion of the need for a separate social pillar aside from the existing economic, culture and political pillars of the Summit did not create much excitement on the European side.
"As a fourth pillar, it would be dangerous as we would be separating the social issue from the core issue. Instead of creating a new pillar, it would be strategically more useful to have the social issue discussed as part of the earlier structure," said Felix Schmidt, the resident director of the Hanoi branch of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a German-based non- governmental organization that promotes social democracy worldwide.
He suggested that the people's organization could further push for social debate, instead of institutionalizing the issue as a major theme in ASEM.
On peace and security, the forum appealed to the governments to publicly disclose their defense and security budgets. It also called on the government to repeal national legislation introduced under what it termed "the pretext" of the "War against Terrorism", which it was claimed imposed restrictions on citizens' legitimate rights and interests, and victimized Muslim communities and peaceful movements.
On democratization and human rights, the Forum urged the governments to respect the freedom of association, expression and assembly, and to develop a dialog between Asia and European governments on the role of participatory local government in promoting sustainable development and democratic services.