We promote informal, open and non-confrontational dialogue between civil society and government representatives on human rights issues of importance to Asia and Europe and provide tailored capacity-building training for diplomats engaged in public diplomacy efforts and the promotion of gender equality.
Governance is one of ASEF’s seven key thematic areas. In this field, we promote informal, open and non-confrontational dialogue between civil society and government representatives, particularly in human rights. Furthermore, we strive to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation among ASEM Partners by providing tailored capacity-building training for early-/mid-career diplomats and government officials engaged in public diplomacy efforts and the promotion of gender equality.
We organise annual Human Rights seminars, trainings and outreach activities covering issues of importance to Asia and Europe. Through the Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights Series (ASEMHRS), we provide a multistakeholder platform for an exchange of views and practices related to human rights across Asia and Europe. We add value to the dialogue on human rights between Asia and Europe by transforming the results of our projects into actionable inputs. The recommendations are made available to the public through the ASEMHRS publications and seminar reports. The outcomes are further presented to a wider audience through outreach events and utilised to train government officials and practitioners on human rights topics through the annual Human Rights Training Programme.
Since 1997, ASEF has co-organised 22 Informal ASEM Human Rights Seminars across Asia and Europe covering a wide range of human rights topics of common interest.
The ASEF Public Diplomacy Training (ASEFPDT) combines participatory online learning and face-to-face interactions facilitated by public diplomacy experts and trainers. The modules are designed to keep participants abreast of new developments in the field through peer-to-peer learning, analysing case studies and designing strategic campaigns.
ASEFPDT Alumni are encouraged to apply the practical skills they acquired through the online course and the face-to-face training in their work to increase foreign and domestic publics’ awareness of the Asia-Europe cooperation and ASEF.
Since its inception in 2013, ASEF has co-organised 12 tutored online courses and 10 face-to-face collaborations across Asia and Europe, benefitting more than 400 junior diplomats and civil servants from ASEM Partner countries.
Through its Gender Equality Programme, ASEF Governance works to advance the understanding of gender equality as a core and cross-sectoral driver of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation and Peace and Security among ASEM policymakers and civil society actors.
Copenhagen, Denmark
University of Oxford
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Bangkok, Thailand
Online / Canberra, Australia
Listen to the Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights podcast on Spotify or Soundcloud.
Check out our ASEF Public Diplomacy Webinar Series
Governance and Sustainable Development
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