Forum calls for social issues to be included in ASEM
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.