The Asia-Europe Environment Forum is a platform for dialogue and debate on sustainable development issues. It serves as:
- The only multi-stakeholder forum on environment between the two regions;
- A recognised reference point for Asia and Europe consensus on sustainable development;
- An interface between government and civil society for policy recommendations;
- An Asia-Europe network on sustainable development; and,
- A contributor to the agenda of the ASEM Environment Ministerial and other Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) fora.
The forum was initiated in 2003 by the Asia-Europe Foundation and is co-organised with the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies of Japan and the United Nations Environment Programme. The Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA) came on board as a coorganiser in 2006 and Korea Environment Institute in 2008.
The 5th Asia-Europe Environment Forum roundtable in Shenzhen, China was held in collaboration with the Research Centre for Urban Development and the Environment, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and City Development Centre of Shenzhen Municipality.