Preparatory Meeting On The Asia Europe Peoples’ Forum (AEPF)
Dear friends,
This is to invite you for a preparatory meeting on the Asia Europe
Peoples’ Forum (AEPF) to be held on the 24th July 2010 in JNU, New
Delhi.
AEPF is a network of progressive civil society and social movements
across Asia and Europe. It has actively advanced people’s voice
within Asia-Europe relations especially in areas of peace and
security, democracy and human rights, and social, economic rights.
Formed as a parallel people’s network of the Asia-Europe Meeting
(ASEM), AEPF has developed a unique function of fostering people’s
solidarity across the two regions and continues to tamper the
neo-liberal policies that ASEM is globalising through multilateralism.
Imminence of regional integration, political and economic re-grouping,
and the imperative for the working together of Asian and European
civil society led to the formation of AEPF on the eve of the first
official Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Bangkok in 1996.
At present, ASEM consists of 27 European Union Member States, the
European Commission, the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member states,
China, Japan, Republic of Korea. India, Pakistan and Mongolia were the
last countries that joined in 2007.
One major result of AEPF-7 in Beijing was the proposals for AEPF
expansion in South Asia. The proposals emanated from the realization
of South Asians that their participation at AEPF 7 signals the need
to determine and clarify the role of South Asia in AEPF in addressing
inter-regional involvement, advocacy and cooperation given that:
a) the importance of South Asia in the next five years is underscored
by its current political situation as one of the hotspots in the
continuing “War on Terror” policies and campaign of the United States
and Europe through NATO; and
b) South Asia (India) is going to be the site of the ASEM Meeting
after Brussels in 2012.
There was a South Asia Caucus meeting held on 13th January 2010 in New
Delhi, which was a preliminary meeting to discuss the issues and
organising an AEPF in India in 2012.
Since we have very scant funds, we cannot reimburse travels. If you
need accommodation please let us know. The detailed programme will
follow and hope to see your active participation in the preparatory
meeting.
Awaiting your response at the earliest.
Thanking you,
Warm regards,
Anu, Varsha & Willy
Draft Programme
AEPF SOUTH ASIA
PLANNING MEETING
24th JULY, 2010
9.30am - 6.30pm
School of International Studies, Room 203,
Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi, INDIA
24th July 2010
9.30am - 9.45am - Registration Room 203, School of International Studies
9.45am - 10.00am - Welcome Address and Introduction (South Asia)
Anuradha Chenoy
10.00am - 11.00am - Overview of ASEM, AEPF and Alternative Regionalism
as a concept
Facilitator - Charles Santiago (Malaysia)
11.00am -11.15am - TEA
11.15am - 12.15pm - Deconstructing Imperialist Capitalist/Trade
Structures and New Politics
Facilitator - Prof. Biswajit Dhar
12.15pm - 1.15pm - Rising Fundamentalism and the War on Terror
Facilitator - Achin Vanaik
1.15pm - 2.15pm - Lunch
2.15pm - 3.15pm - Democratic Aspirations in South Asia
Facilitator - Kamal Chenoy,
3.15pm - 4.15pm - Livelihood and Social Security
Facilitator - Harsh Mander/Kavita Srivastava
4.15pm - 4.30pm - TEA
4.30pm - 5.30pm - Climate Crisis and its impact on South Asia
Facilitator - Praful Bidwai
5.30pm - 6.30pm - Strategising towards AEPF
