09 September 2013 – Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson, Senior Official Meeting (SOM) Leader of the Philippines to the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) attended the ASEM-SOM Meeting held from September 03 to 05 in New Delhi, India.
Fifty senior officials from the 48 ASEM member countries, ASEAN Secretariat and the European External Action Service (EEAS) convened to discuss improvements in the ASEM working methods and ways to strengthen Asia-Europe cooperation in the political, economic and socio-cultural fields.
Senior officials acknowledged the need to maintain ASEM’s relevance in a highly interdependent world and to enhance its visibility. Assistant Secretary Collinson remarked that “in order for ASEM to remain a significant inter-regional forum, it is important that ASEM continue the robust and healthy dialogue on compelling political issues of concern to both Asia and Europe. ASEM can then add value to discussions made in other regional and international fora.”
There was also consensus that partnership in ASEM should move towards producing tangible projects for cooperation, such as on education and human resources development, renewable energy, water and waste management, SMEs, public health, urbanization and greenways, food safety, and disaster management and mitigation, among others.
Under the ASEM framework, the Philippines, together with Switzerland, will be co-hosting a Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation in Manila in 2014 and an International Experts’ Workshop on the Recovery of Illicit Assets.
At the sidelines of Meeting, Assistant Secretary Collinson conducted bilateral meetings with ASEM partners.
The agenda for the upcoming 11th Foreign Ministers Meeting which will be held from November 11 to 12 in New Delhi, themed “ASEM: Bridge to Partnership and Growth & Development” was discussed with the Senior Officials endorsing a format of two plenary sessions and a retreat.
ASEM is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation established in 1996 with the main objective of forging a comprehensive partnership between Asia and Europe. The Philippines is one of the inaugural members of ASEM. It is the only comprehensive forum where Europe and Asia engage one another at the highest levels of government. END
