ASEF is an intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation which brings together the peoples of Asia and Europe to address common global challenges by:
A world in which Asians and Europeans
shape the future together - respectfully,
fairly, and sustainably.
To complement the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Process through opportunities for Asians and Europeans to exchange ideas and collaborate, to achieve innovative sustainable solutions for common global challenges.
A world in which Asians and Europeans shape the future together - respectfully, fairly, and sustainably.
To complement the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Process through opportunities for Asians and Europeans to exchange ideas and collaborate, to achieve innovative sustainable solutions for common global challenges.
On 1-2 March 1996, the Heads of State and Government from 10 Asian nations and 15 European nations, the President of the Council of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission, convened in Bangkok, Thailand, for the inauguration of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), an intergovernmental process established to foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. This was the 1st ASEM Summit, which paved the way for the establishment of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
On 15 February 1997, the 1st ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEMFMM1) was held in Singapore. The Ministers adopted a Declaration welcoming the establishment of ASEF. Based in Singapore, ASEF is the only permanent institution of ASEM. ASEF is funded by voluntary contributions from ASEM’s partner governments and shares the financing of its projects with its civil society partners across the two regions.
ASEF’s mandate is to promote better mutual understanding between Asia and Europe through greater intellectual, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges, in line with the vision for Asia-Europe cooperation laid down by ASEM leaders at the 1st ASEM Summit in Bangkok in 1996 as well as subsequent meetings. Our purpose was reiterated at the 5th ASEM Summit (ASEM5) in Hanoi, Vietnam on 8-9 October 2004 through the Dublin Agreed Principles of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
At the 5th ASEM Summit (ASEM5) in October 2004 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, the ASEM process expanded from 26 to 39 countries, including the 10 new members of the European Union, as well as Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. The second round of expansion happened in October 2007, when India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the ASEAN Secretariat were officially welcomed into ASEM.
During the 8th ASEM Summit (ASEM8) held on 4-5 October 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, 3 new members joined the ASEM process: Australia, New Zealand and the Russian Federation. This third round of enlargement increased the membership to 48 partners.
During the 9th ASEM Summit (ASEM9) in November 2012 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Norway, and Switzerland officially joined ASEM.
During the 10th ASEM Summit (ASEM10) in October 2014 in Milan, Italy, Croatia and Kazakhstan formally joined ASEM, bringing the total number of ASEM and ASEF partners to 53. See full list of the 53 ASEM partners.
We pursue transparency and trust in our individual roles and in the work and projects we do, which improves ASEF’s activities and positions it as a leading intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation.
We maintain a consistent standard of engagement with our civil society and government stakeholders. We aspire to provide our employees with a platform for and a work culture conducive to growth in their respective strengths and specialties.
We incorporate mutual, continuous and lifelong learning by sharing knowledge and experiences from diverse perspectives and disciplines, encouraging interdepartmental and multi-stakeholder collaboration to tackle current global challenges. We are flexible, adaptive, resilient and open to growth and change.
We build a foundation to create a sustainable future in all three dimensions of sustainability – economic, social and environmental – by contributing to the well-being and protection of the present and future generations in our societies.
We foster a foundation of mutual respect based on equality. We engage with tolerance, acceptance, empathy and understanding, communicating supportively.
We pride ourselves as an organisation that connect the people and civil societies of 51 Asian & European countries and two regional organisations. We value, celebrate and leverage our differences in culture, thought and ideas through dialogue & cooperation, moving forward together in harmony to create a sustainable future in Asia and Europe.
Under the auspices of the Board of Governors and the Senior Management, ASEF has three programme departments (Culture, Education, Governance and Sustainable Development) and two support departments (Finance and Human Resources). The Communications Department manages corporate communications and also functions as a programme department (through its media projects.) The Executive Office supports the Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Director. The Executive Office also ensures smooth and efficient co-ordination between ASEF and its stakeholders, as well as between ASEF’s Departments and Task Forces.
You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at info@asef.org. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.
We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices here.
