ASEFUAN, with the support of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), held its 11th Annual Conference and General Meeting at the Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines on 31 July-2 August 2012 with the theme “Conflict Transformation and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes in Asia and Europe”.
ASEFUAN members and select non-ASEFUAN participants working or studying in the field of peace tackled issues of security and geopolitics, religion, minority rights, international and community-based peace-building, new media activism, alternative dispute resolution, sustainable development, and arts for conflict transformation. A workshop was also conducted to develop the participants’ skills on conflict resolution.
This event was co-organised with the Ateneo de Manila University European Studies Programme, Ateneo’s Association of European Studies Students (AEUSS), Institute for Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS), Conflict Resolution (CoRe) Group Foundation, Inc., and the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC).
It featured some prominent figures from Asia and Europe in the field of sustainable peace, including:
- Prof. Virginia Bonoan-Dandan, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity
- Dr. Carolina Hernandez, Founding President, Institute for Strategic and Development Studies
- H.E. Ambassador Rosario Manalo, Governor for the Philippines, ASEF Board of Governors; Philippine Representative, ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
Model ASEM Summit
Aside from the conference proper, the event was preceded by a Model Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), patterned after the processes of the ASEM dialogue. The Model ASEM, organised by the Ateneo European Studies Programme and the Association of European Studies Students (AEUSS), was participated in by around 130 student-representatives from top universities in the Philippines.
The goal of this Model ASEM was to provide a platform for discussion regarding common issues of Asia and Europe, promote the processes of the ASEM dialogue among future leaders, and empower local stakeholders to be active in pressing issues of peace and conflict transformation. (www.modelasem.org)
For more information about ASEFUAN and their activities, please visit www.asefuan.org or their official blog www.asefuan.net
