The ASEF University Alumni Network (ASEFUAN) held their 12th Academic Conference and Annual General Meeting from 7 to 9 August 2013 at the Longroom Hub of the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The conference, supported by ASEF and in cooperation with the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIIS) of the Trinity College, was themed “Feeding Asia and Europe in the 21st Century: Cooperation and Challenges in Food Safety, Security, and Sustainability”.
Opened by Prof. Louis BRENNAN, IIIS Director, the conference programme included panel discussions, among which one on Food Sustainability and Public Health, and a workshop on best practices in Asia and Europe. Multi-stakeholder partnerships were reinforced through the participation of representatives from governments, academia, international organisations, businesses and non-profit organisations.
The following guest speakers made presentations at the conference:
– Prof. Mike JONES, Chair of Botany at Trinity College, introduced “Food prices, growing population, water resources, food vs. fuel”
– Dr Denise PREVOST, Maastricht University, presented on “Food safety in China and the WTO framework”
– Dr Laura DEVENEY, Trinity College, covered “Food risk governance in Ireland”
– Mr David MOORE, Senior Counsel at Diageo, shared about “Fusion cuisine: understanding ‘the other’ through Asian and European cuisines”, with a focus on cultural habits of alcohol consumption in Asia
– Several ASEFUAN members: Mr Nick MCILROY, Prof. Wei SHEN, Dr. Nikki BRIONES Carsi Cruz and Pachaya TEERAWATSAKUL
The Academic Conference was followed by a one-day Annual General Meeting, during which the ASEFUAN Executive Committee (ExCo) reported on the activities of the past year. At this occasion, ASEFUAN members elected the ExCo for 2013-2014.
ASEFUAN was founded in Bali in April 2002 by the graduates of the ASEF University (AU) programme. Its members represent more than 600 alumni from 44 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) countries and hold positions in their respective governments, business sectors, academia, civil society, etc. In line with ASEF’s mission, ASEFUAN organises projects that promote intercultural dialogue between Asia and Europe, particularly among the younger generation.
