Dear Friends of ASEF,
As we bid farewell to 2015 and usher in 2016, I would like to extend warm New Year’s greetings to you and wish you a peaceful and prosperous year ahead.
Looking back upon the passing year, ASEF has reinforced its role in promoting mutual understanding, cultivating networks, and facilitating cooperation between Asia and Europe through its active work in six thematic areas – culture, economy, education, governance, public health and sustainable development. At the same time, we have been instrumental in complementing the government-led ASEM process by bringing together civil societies from both Asia and Europe and channelling their voices to the decision makers of both regions. Our endeavours have received robust support from ASEF Governors, ASEM Governments, Senior Officials and Contact Points, as well as partner organisations and ASEF alumni, to whom we wish to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation. We are also delighted to note that ASEF and its projects and activities have attracted growing interest and engagement of participants and the general public from across Asia and Europe, through both online and offline platforms, including social media.
In 2015, ASEF made value-added contributions to the 12th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEM FMM12) in Luxembourg. The 1st ASEF Young Leaders’ Summit, the 10th ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium and the ASEF Photo Exhibition were held on the side lines of the ASEM FMM12 and were highly recognised. We are thankful to the strong support provided by the European Union and Luxembourg which was indispensable for the success of these events.
2016 will be another busy yet exciting year for ASEF, as ASEM will mark its 20th Anniversary and hold its 11th Summit (ASEM11) in Mongolia. While consolidating our work in the key thematic areas, we will contribute meaningfully to the commemoration of the milestone in the evolution of the ASEM process and support the ASEM Leaders’ meeting with a set of projects and activities. In the meantime, we will continuously seek to reflect in our work the latest trends in Asia-Europe relations, such as the increasing attention from both regions to connectivity and sustainable development.
We are looking forward to your continued interest, support and engagement, which will help us make 2016 another productive and encouraging year for ASEF.
You may wish to stay updated of our projects, events, publications, and other activities by subscribing to our monthly ASEF eNewsletter or accessing various social media platforms.
On behalf of all my colleagues at ASEF, I wish you a New Year full of health, happiness and successes.
Ambassador ZHANG Yan
Executive Director
Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)