Asia Europe People's Forum IV

Asia Europe People's Forum IV
Copenhagen, Denmark, 19-22 September 2002

• Introduction
• Declaration Asem4people
• People's Security is Not for Sale, by Sven Hansen
• Disagreements on Iraq, Unity in Dealing with North-Korea, by Sven Hansen
• A Reflection on the Asem4People, by Rae Street
• Press Release 20 September
• Press Release 16 September
• TNI Publication: Asia Europe Crosspoints
• ASEM's Corporate Bias
• Conference Programme
• Background to the Conference Themes
• Calendar of Preparatory Activities
• Berlin, March 2002: Social Policy and the ASEM Process
• Bonn, March 2002: Open Dialogue on a Social Dimension of ASEM
• Berlin, March 2002: AEPF International Organising Committee Meeting

The Burma Summit was organised at the occasion of the ASEM4People Forum.

Introduction

ASEM 4 and the People's Forum: Asem4people

A People's Forum is being organised in Copenhagen in September 2002. The event is organised by the Asia Europe People's Forum and a Platform of Danish civil society organisations on the occasion of the fourth Asia Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM). The People's Forum will challenge the role of ASEM in economic globalisation and present alternatives based on experiences of social movements and people's organisations in Asia and Europe. Therefore it is named: asem4people.

Asian & European realities after September 11th

Security

Two years ago in Seoul the ASEM 3 and the parallel People's Forum took place in the context of the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, increasing impoverishment in many Asian countries but with hopes of ending the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula. Now in 2002 Asian - as well as European societies face new social and political challenges in the field of security arising after September 11th. The US led coalition against terrorism includes most European and many Asian countries and promotes military solutions to the challenge of insecurity and terrorism. We have witnessed military intervention in Afghanistan, the breakdown of the peace process in the Middle East, and intervention of US Special Troops in the Philippines.

Western Europe experiences growing xenophobia and racism. With the political move to the right, many governments are dependent on nationalist and populist political parties. Respect for religious minorities especially Muslim and Jewish is seriously threatened, with increasing manifestations of ethnic tensions and discrimination against refugees and migrants. In many Asian countries, tensions between ethnic and religious groups are on the increase and contributing to violent and armed conflicts.

People's Rights

The political and civil rights of citizens are being curtailed through new legislation such as the Europe- wide anti-terrorism initiative and the Internal Security Act in Malaysia and similar legislation in other Asian countries. Many governments use anti-terror concerns as a pretext for oppressing various forms of resistance and political opposition. Both in Europe and Asia, military and related budgets are significantly on the increase. However, some Asian countries as well as the EU are timidly trying to introduce a different perspective on security and anti- terrorism than the US, expressing reservations on the concept of the 'Axis of Evil' and the US' plans for Missile Defence. In many countries struggles for human rights and self-determination continue.

Globalisation

September 11th brought another temporary slowdown for world economic growth, but the push for integration in the globalised economy has continued to accelerate. With the entry into the WTO of China and soon also Vietnam, markets will increasingly be opened and integrated between Asia and Europe. Still many of the economies shattered by the Asian financial crisis in the late 90s have not yet recovered. The social and environmental sustainability of globalisation is widely challenged, as is the lack of political and democratic institutions to control and regulate global companies.

The civil society movement and Asem4people

At the same time solidarity is growing between social movements, trade unions, popular organisations and NGOs in the civil society, who are involved in influencing or resisting the policies of globalisation or practising alternatives to mainstream development.

The convening of the Social Forum in Porto Alegre in 2001 and 2002, the mobilisation around the WTO Ministerial in Seattle, World Bank meetings and UN events such as World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg are events at the global level. Similar events are also happening at regional levels. The asem4people in Copenhagen will focus on interregional relations between civil society in Asia and Europe.

The asem4people aims to be one strong link in the chain of solidarity among social movements, which are creating and shaping the civil society at a global level. We see this as a promising moment giving us the hope that the processes of globalisation can be brought under control and regulation by governments accountable to the peoples of Asia and Europe.

Focus and objectives of asem4people

The four main themes around which asem4people is being organised are:

1. Globalisation - for corporations or for people?
2. People's Rights under attack - The costs of September 11
3. people's Focus on Security
4. people's alternatives and strategies.

Related to the People's rights theme, an International Burma Summit is also organised part of asem4people.

The objectives of the asem4people are

• To articulate the current concerns of civil society in Asia and Europe and to challenge the ASEM 4 summit
• To provide information and analysis on the current issues in Asia - Europe relations
• To project alternatives and to develop strategies towards strengthening the links and alliances between civil society organisations in Asia and Europe.

Participating in asem4people

We expect up to 500 civil society participants from Asia, Western as well as Eastern Europe and an interested Danish public to join the asem4people. The asem4people is open for everybody. If you or your organisation are interested in participating, please send us information with your name, postal address, e-mail address, possibly the name of your organisation. Please send this information by e-mail to: holger@care.dk or on telefax +45 3536 8878 att. Holger Hansen.

Logistics and expenses

Copenhagen is an expensive city, unfortunately. Hotels range between 90 and 175 Eur/night. We have reserved rooms in a number of hotels and are looking also for low- budget accommodation. Please let us know if you need assistance with hotel bookings. Food will be available at reasonable prices at the venue. The fee for participating in asem4people is Euro 30, to be paid on arrival at the venue