Advancing a Peoples’ ASEAN: Continuing Dialogue
1 October 2009 9:58 pm
The
2nd ASEAN Peoples' Forum (APF), along with the 5th ASEAN Civil
Society Conference (ACSC), will be held from 18-10 October 2009 in
Cha-am, Phetchaburi Province, southern Thailand. 500 representatives of
Southeast
Asian civil society groups, including 260 from the host country, are
expected to attend.
The
event parallel to the 16th ASEAN Summit, held also in a place near the
venue. The Joint Thai-Regional APF Working Group, comprising Thai and
regional civil society organisations including FORUM-ASIA, has formed
the organising committee
of the two events.
The 1st ASEAN Peoples' Forum (APF) was
held in February this year in Bangkok. It brought
together representatives of civil society organisations in the region
to share
issues of concern and deliver common
recommendations to the ASEAN. It was linked to the
Fourth ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC IV), which focused on civil
society's continuous engagement with the ASEAN bodies, as recommended
by APF. This movement led to the two-hour dialogue with the ASEAN
Secretary-General and the Thai Minister
of Foreign Affairs, and the 30-minute informal meeting with the ASEAN
leaders in Cha-am.
To
pursue
the goal of "advancing a peoples' ASEAN", the events in October will
feature expanded dialogue
with ASEAN governments' and ASEAN Secretariat senior officials. The key
objective of the dialogue is to "foster governments-peoples
cooperation in creating building blocks for a just, people-centred" for
ASEAN.
The ASEAN leaders are expected to agree for another interface meeting
with a group of representatives from the two meetings on 23 October.