Asia Europe People's Forum I,

Asia Europe People's Forum I,
Bangkok, Thailand, 27-29 February 1996

• Introduction
• Recommendations to the ASEM
• Follow-up (Background Note)
• Book: ASEM Trading New Silk Routes
• Paper: The Dynamics of European Development: A View for Asia
• Paper: From Phoney Debate to Unholy Alliance
• Paper: The Feminization of Migrant Labour in Asia

INTRODUCTION
AN IMPULSE FOR THE 21st CENTURY

The first Joint Asia-Europe NGO Conference with the theme 'Beyond Geo-politics and Geo-economics: Towards a New Relationship Between Asia and Europe' took place on February 27-29 in Bangkok. Approximately 400 women and men, representing a wide range of people's organisations and NGOs participated in this historic event. This NGO conference was scheduled on the eve of the ASEM (March 1-2), the first Summit bringing together 15 European Union (EU) and 10 Asian government leaders, from the seven ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea.

The aim of the NGO Conference was to open up a discussion between civil society actors in Asia and Europe and to initiate a dialogue that addresses the new challenges confronting both Asia and Europe and to work towards forging a shared vision and a common programme of action between the two continents.

ASEM - A New Point of Departure in Asia-Europe Relations

Centuries of commerce, the impact of European colonialism in Asia, the post-Second World War resurgence of Europe, then Asia, and their economic clout have ensured many levels of inter-action between the two continents. How ever, the ASEM Summit, the first joint meeting of government leaders from Europe and Asia represents a major development in Europe's attempts to position itself in the world's most dynamic economic region. ASEM's significance has to be viewed within the context of the current acceleration of the formation of other Regional Blocs in the Asia-Pacific region -the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asean Free Trade Association (AFTA), and the East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC).

Competing visions on regional integration have been played out in the run-up to the APEC Summit which took place in Osaka during November 1995. Regional elites (governments and business) have been positioning on the conflicting models of 'US' or 'Japanese' regional integration. While the EU has been largely marginalised in this debate, it has however taken its own steps to strengthen its position in the region.

Besides the instruments of the EU-ASEAN Cooperation Agreement, and its bi-lateral relations with many countries in the Asia- Pacific region, the EU is now developing through the ASEM a longer term strategy towards the region.

Europe's new attention to Asia derives from an integrated long-term strategy embodied in policy documents issued by the European Commission. The Commission's 1994 New Asia Strategy sets out a framework for increasing Europe's commercial and diplomatic presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The EU's New Asia Strategy dominated as it is by geo-economic considerations, adds another dimension to the competing bloc politics in the region. The New Asia Strategy is a clear and unambiguous statement of the promotion of the economic self-interest of one of the world's competing power blocks. It sets European interests above other interests and implicitly reflects the needs and agendas of European-based transnational corporations and financial institutions.

The Asia-Europe NGO Conference therefore was an important venue to put into focus the urgent issues affecting the peoples of both regions. It also began the process of formulating a new relationship between the two continents from a people's perspective.

Governments are not the sole Stakeholders of Asia Europe Relations

At the press conference closing the NGO Conference, Professor Gothom Arya of Chulalongkorn University, congratulated the participants on the achievements of the conference:

'The unprecedented media interest generated by this conference has reaffirmed the legitimacy of the grassroots organisations and proved that governments are not the sole stakeholders of Europe-Asia relations. It also placed uncomfortable issues on the agenda, which would otherwise not have been there. The European and Asian NGOs committed themselves to pursue these issues in a spirit of co-operation and mutual respect'.

This was the resonant message of the NGO Conference: definitively rejecting the narrow 'geo-economics' of the official ASEM, and asserting a people centred agenda for signposting the future of relations between the two continents.

Development that is Politically Participatory

A development paradigm, rooted in democratic participation of people's organisations was asserted in Bangkok both by the event of the NGO Conference which involved a high level of participation from Thai organisations, the media, as well as by the 'parliament of the streets', where farmers, workers and students held parallel demonstrations.

Development issues were in fact absent from the official ASEM agenda. Arunee Srito, a leading figure of the labour movement in Thailand, drew attention to this in her keynote address at the opening of the NGO Conference and also at a rally outside the ASEM Convention centre. Mrs. Srito stressed the urgency of linking economic development to democracy. Referring to ASEM she said, 'We support such initiatives of international co-operation, but we feel the ASEM could have wider social implications if subjects concerning human aspects of development had been duly touched upon in the discussions, with of course the participation of trade unions and representatives of the people's organisations'.

In contrast to the ASEM, whose main agenda was primarily geared to serve the economic interests of the dominant elites in both regions, the NGO Conference put forward 'an alternative vision that would be people-centred, socially just, economically equitable, ecologically sustainable and politically participatory'. As an integral part of this process, the 25 governments were called on 'to ensure that women's human rights are respected and promoted and that the benefits of economic development are shared more equitably'.

People's Issues Impact on the Official ASEM

The NGO Conference had a very direct impact on the ASEM itself: the Thai government responsive to public opinion made the decision to allow the NGO Conference to go ahead, despite threats to cancel the event under pressure from within as well as from some neighbour governments; East Timor made its way into the official ASEM without the threatened walk-out of the Indonesians. Most European and Asian Embassies in Bangkok sent observers to the NGO Conference and several official government delegations requested briefings from NGO delegates. Priority issues highlighted in these briefings included: human rights concerns, child prostitution, rights of migrant workers; ethical investment, protection of the environment and the inequitable nature of current world trade agreements. The specific cases of Ireland, East Timor, Bosnia and Burma were raised as were key proposals for disarmament, challenging the governments of both regions; a total ban on the production, sale and use of land mines and the negotiation of a new comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. Both of these forms of warfare were aptly described as ones in which 'grandchildren die in their grandparents' wars'.

Forging a Common Agenda

The process initiated at the NGO Conference in a new quality of substantive dialogue (47 papers were prepared for the NGO Conference) will be carried on. Even though this was a first encounter for the NGO constituencies, significant consensus was reached on many topics. However, there were diverse views on such areas as the Social Clause and Code of Conducts and these will be topics for further rigorous study and discussion. The dialectic of looking at both Europe and Asia and seeking to identify common agendas for the 21st century will be maintained in the follow-up period.

Follow-up

The co-convenors of the Conference were tasked to develop a follow-up framework to carry forward the impulse from Bangkok. In Asia, The Bangkok Organizing Committee including Focus on the Global South (Thailand), are working jointly with the Transnational Institute (TNI) (Netherlands), CIIR (Britain) and Asia Foundation (Germany) in Europe to develop a programme of activities (information/advocacy and research) in the period upto ASEM II. It is expected that ASEM II will take place in the spring of 1998 in London under the British Presidency of the EU.