ASEF complements the intergovernmental dialogue at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) by engaging civil societies of both regions. In line with this mandate, an ASEF Policy Panel was organised at the 7th ASEM Culture Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM CMM7) on 22 June 2016 in Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
This panel on Culture & the Creative Economy: What Opportunities for Asia-Europe Exchange & Collaboration? brought together three cultural experts: Dr Amareswar GALLA, Executive Director, International Institute for the Inclusive Museum; Mr Ossi LUOTO, CEO, Europe-Asia Roundtable Sessions (EARS); and Mr Jérémy SEGAY, Specialist in Asian cinema & Audio-visual Attaché, Bureau Français. The panel was moderated by Ms Anupama SEKHAR, Director, Culture Department, ASEF.
Three key ideas were offered by the panellists to the representatives of the 53 ASEM Partners attending ASEM CMM7. First, ASEM governments must support the creation, distribution and consumption of diverse cultural content (be it films or books) by enabling public policies. Secondly, care must be taken to ensure equal partnerships between Asian and European artists and organisations within collaborative projects. Thirdly, peer-to-peer networking as well as intergenerational mentoring must be reiterated through face-to-face exchanges. A short video on the ASEF Policy Panel can be viewed here. The report of the ASEF Policy Panel is available here.
As ASEM commemorates its 20th anniversary, ASEM CMM7 focused on Asia-Europe cultural collaboration in heritage and the creative industries. This ministerial meeting, held from 22-24 June 2016, acknowledged the challenge of maintaining the integrity of cultural heritage, while attempting to harness the potential of the cultural and creative industries. Ministers underlined the importance of using new technologies to further develop national creative industries and particularly stressed the importance of collaboration on the creative industries within the ASEM context.