The ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC) is the “Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEM Education Ministers Meeting (ASEMME)” and the only bi-regional multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for university and student leaders, policymakers and ministers to discuss higher education issues and shape the education landscape in Asia and Europe.
What is the ARC programme?
For the past 15 years, ARC has continuously evolved and contributed with various outputs (policy recommendations, research, and events) to the ASEM Education Process, and created opportunities for key Asian and European stakeholders to connect. ARC’s role as a valuable dialogue partner has been reiterated in all ASEMMEs, and its outcomes and outputs helped to sustain a dynamic ASEM Education Process. Take a look at the past editions here.
The ARC programme cycle covers two years and is aligned with the timeline of the ASEMMEs. Its results, including research, and policy recommendations, feed into the preparations for ASEM Education Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOMs) and the ASEM Education Ministers’ Meetings (MEs), which ARC experts are invited to attend.
Now running on its tenth cycle, ARC’s objectives are ►
Knowledge Exchange
Inform Policy
Background of ARC10
ARC10 revolves around the future of higher education in Asia and Europe, given the trends and developments that higher education must cope with. Climate change, geopolitical disruptions, inequalities and disparities on various fronts, digital transformation, and the possibility of failing to meet the SDGs. Guided by ASEM’s directives and priorities on Education that stand as ASEF’s guideposts, our work in ARC10 answers the call to explore substantive changes to reinvent higher education given its key role in transforming our collective future.
Under the theme “[Un]debated Ways of Rethinking Higher Education”, the two-year project concluded its 2024 activities with a series of policy dialogue and debate webinars, and released three narrative reports on pressing topics of digital transformation, equity & access, and recognition & balanced mobility.
ARC10, guided by our programme objectives, hopes to provide spaces at various levels where higher education stakeholders and partners can come together to build a collective vision of the future.
As we concluded the project’s first year, we have made progress in achieving the project’s intended outcomes and impacts. See our highlights below or read more about ARC10 Year 1 here.
ARC10 in 2025: Year 2
Which global topics in education will ARC10 tackle?
► With the UN Agenda 2030 behind the corner, can we still reshape education around the SDGs?
► How do we make higher education more inclusive and equitable for all learners?
► Can Learning Cities provide a comprehensive lifelong learning ecosystem?
► How can the next global education agenda address emerging challenges?
ARC10’s second year focuses primarily at facilitating the work of the ASEM Education Expert Group on SDGs and Education (EG1), where ASEF serves as co-chair along with the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority and the Ministry of Education of Thailand. This year, the EG is set to have three virtual meetings and one onsite conference to be held as a side-event of the ASEM Education 1st Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) in Bucharest, Romania in November 2025.
March – September 2025 | Online
ASEF serves as a Co-Chair of the ASEM Education Expert Group on SDGs and Education (EG1), which provides a platform for representatives of ASEM member states and stakeholder organisations for quarterly meetings and discussions on best practices and experience about key topics at the intersection of education and Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the UN Agenda 2030.
Quarterly Meeting 1: Setting the Direction for ASEMME10, 26 March 2025
The first meeting of 2025 hosted education stakeholders and representatives from ASEM member countries to develop a comprehensive Work Plan and Terms of Reference covering the EG’s work up until the 10th ASEM Education Ministers’ Meeting (ASEMME10). The event brought together policymakers, academic leaders, and international organisation delegates to define priorities for enhancing cross-regional cooperation in education. The Group identified five topics of strategic interest to be tackled in the upcoming period with the vision of forming a final white paper presented to ASEM Education Ministers.
Quarterly Meeting 2: Rethinking Educational Equity, 22 May 2025
The second meeting of the Expert Group on SDGs and Education in 2025 was centred on the theme “Rethinking Educational Equity: From Access to Real Inclusion.” The session began with stage-setting presentations from selected partner and stakeholder organisations, showcasing how they addressed barriers to accessible and equitable education within their specific contexts. These inputs provided a foundation for deeper discussions on tackling disparities across different levels—macro-regional, national, and institutional. Discussions touched upon selected areas of interest for the Expert Group, such as strategies for mobilising and creating funding sources to promote equitable education for all and good practices for developing inclusive policies in higher education.
Quarterly Meeting 3: Learning Cities of the Future, 10 September 2025
This upcoming session will be conducted jointly between the Expert Group on SDGs and Education (EG1) and the Expert Group on Lifelong Learning and TVET (EG3) under the theme “Learning Cities of the Future: Building Inclusive and Equitable Learning”.
20-21 November 2025 | Bucharest, Romania
As ARC is the Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEMME, we aligned with complemented the programme of the ASEM Senior Officials Meeting (ISOM) co-organised by the ASEM Education Secretariat and Romania’s Ministry of Education and Scientific Research to conduct an ARC10 Policy Dialogue which also covers the fourth quarterly meeting of the ASEM Education Expert Group on SDGs and Education.
With the tentative focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), more information will follow in the upcoming months.
What’s Next in 2026?
Early 2026 | Online and Onsite
ARC10 activities in 2026 will primarily focus on implementing the Work Plan of the ASEM Education Expert Group on SDGs and Education to collate policy insights and good practices.
We will also continue to build on synergies and partnerships with other key global players such as the World Access to Higher Education Network, SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development, the ASEM Education Secretariat, and other ASEM Education Expert Groups to explore ARC10’s themes further, and produce a comprehensive white paper with policy recommendations to be introduced to ASEM Ministers later in the year.
Mid-2026 | Asia (TBC)
ARC, as the Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEMME, aims to contribute a white paper on “Reshaping Education for a Sustainable Future: Reflections on SDGs and the Post-2030 Agenda” to ASEMME10. This document will synthesise key observations and insights from the work of the ASEM Education Expert Group on SDGs and Education, outlining practical recommendations for achieving the SDGs in education and providing insights on the next iteration of Agenda 2030.
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