More information on ASEM is available on the internet:
European External Action Service - ASEM
ASEM Infoboard
ASEM 8
ASEF
By Shada Islam
(Brussels May 9) - Asian and European policymakers meet in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today to discuss joint efforts to improve global food security.
As world food prices soar, triggering fears of a repeat of the 2006-2008 food crisis, experts warn that a sustained 10 per cent rise in domestic food prices in developing Asia, home to 3.3 billion people, could push an additional 64 million people into extreme poverty.
The meeting in Thailand on May 9 and 10 will look at the food security situation in many individual Asian countries and consider the experience of ASEM partners in tackling this problem (including the European Union’s one-billion euro food facility 2009-11).
The talks are part of the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) partnership launched in 1996 to foster closer cooperation between the European Union and Asian countries.
“Food security is a global issue which involves all ASEM members because of its effect in both developed and developing countries,” says a paper prepared by Thailand ahead of the two-day meeting.
World food prices increased by 56% in 2006-2008, resulting in heightened malnutrition and hunger rates across Asia and other parts of the developing world.
There is growing concern that the world is headed for a similar crisis.
Thailand, as a key food-producing country, agreed to take the lead on food security issues at a meeting of ASEM heads of state and government held in Beijing in 2010.
The talks in Chiang Mai follow close on the heels of a meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Hanoi, Vietnam, which warned that inter-related issues of water, food, and climate change must be addressed head on to prevent the erosion of gains made in the global fight against poverty.
In a report released ahead of the annual meeting, the ADB warned that the increase in prices for many Asian food staples is "likely to continue" and could badly undermine the recent gains in poverty reduction made in Asia.
Poor families in developing Asia spend over 60 per cent of their income on food compared to a 10 per cent expenditure on food in developed nations.
A combination of factors, including population increases, rising food consumption in emerging economies, rising oil (and therefore fertiliser) prices, the use of grain to produce bio-fuels and a decrease in crop yields due to climate change are identified as some of the reasons for the current food crisis.
ASEM, with its diverse membership of food producers, exporters and importers, and bringing together countries at different levels of development, can provide a strong platform for cooperation and consultation on tackling food security challenges.
Asian and European representatives in Chiang Mai are expected to share their experiences, exchange best practices on food security as well encourage joint agricultural research initiatives.
Questions discussed will include ways of improving farmers’ livelihoods, promoting agricultural innovation and technology transfers and ensuring food security arrangements in case of emergencies.
END
ASEM has 48 partners, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Commission.
Shada Islam is a journalist in Brussels with a long experience of EU-Asia relations. This is a part of a series of articles being published by Ecorys Research and Consulting, as member of the COWI Consortium which is under contract to the European Commission, to look at different aspects of the multi-faceted Asia-Europe relationship. This article represents the views of the author and does not commit the European Commission in any way.
You are free to publish the article in its entirety or only in part in your newspapers, wire services, internet-based information networks and newsletters- and you are also free to use the information in your radio-TV discussions or as a basis for discussion in different fora. We would, however, appreciate if you could let us know when and where the article was used.
If you do not wish to receive these articles, please let us know at asem-visibility@ecorys.com.
EC support team ASEM visibility:
Ms Shada Islam
Ms Johanna Vrombaut
------------------------------------
Dear colleagues,
The eighth ASEM summit held in Brussels on October 4-5 last year helped to further boost Asia-Europe ties, with leaders from both regions discussing key global challenges and ways of strengthening political, economic and cultural ties. Russia, Australia and New Zealand were admitted as ASEM partners for the first time.
However, ASEM is not just about summits and Asia-Europe relations are not just about meetings. Asia and Europe interact with each other in myriad ways: they are connected by history, culture, business and share the challenge of living together in a rapidly changing and globalised world.
Intensified strategic cooperation between Asia and Europe will be key in tackling the challenge of sustainable development, combating climate change, ensuring peace and stability and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Easing the impact of the global economic slowdown and ensuring global growth also require Asia-Europe cooperation and consultation. As European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at the ASEM summit in Beijing in 2008, “we either swim together or sink together”.
That message remains relevant three years on. In the coming years, Asia and Europe will have to deal with all kinds of non-traditional security threats, such as pandemics, energy security, environmental protection, food security, terrorism, piracy at sea or organized crime, as well as strengthening preventive diplomacy. Partners will continue to work together on promoting inclusive socio-economic development, and on strengthening cultural understanding and inter-faith dialogue. Asia and Europe will also need to consider ways of capitalising on ASEM’s added-value in an era of G20.
Over the coming months, you will be receiving “media alerts” and articles on Asia-Europe relations and upcoming ASEM meetings from us in Ecorys Research and Consulting (contracted by the European Commission through the COWI Consortium, to work to enhance the visibility of ASEM on the global stage).
We are hoping that you will be able to use these articles, written by an independent, professional journalist, in your newspapers, wire services, internet-based information networks and newsletters. You are free to publish the articles in their entirety or only in part – and you are also free to use the information in your radio-TV discussions or as a basis for discussion in different fora. We would, however, appreciate if you could let us know when and where the article was used.
Please also let us know if you are not interested in receiving such information.
To give you some further background, here is some basic information on ASEM:
The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is a forum for dialogue between Europe and Asia. Since its establishment in 1996 ASEM has been the main multilateral channel for communication between Asia and Europe, strengthening interaction and mutual understanding.
ASEM involves virtually the whole of Asia and Europe, with 48 countries or regional bodies participating. ASEM's overall direction is set by ASEM heads of state or government meeting at Summits held every two years - alternating between European and Asian locations. Between Summits many inter-governmental ASEM meetings maintain the momentum of Asia-Europe dialogue on all political, economic, social and cultural issues of mutual interest to the partners.
The 48 ASEM partners are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Commission.
ASEM also brings together non-governmental stakeholders, such as lawmakers, business leaders and civil society representatives. These stakeholders meet at the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership, Asia-Europe Business Forum, and Asia Europe People’s Forum, held every two years alongside ASEM Summits.
ASEM also links the peoples of Europe and Asia through the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), funded by ASEM partners and based in Singapore. ASEF promotes understanding and collaboration between the peoples of Asia and Europe through cultural, intellectual and people-to-people exchanges.
ASEM Infoboard
ASEM 8
ASEF
By Shada Islam
(Brussels May 9) - Asian and European policymakers meet in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today to discuss joint efforts to improve global food security.
As world food prices soar, triggering fears of a repeat of the 2006-2008 food crisis, experts warn that a sustained 10 per cent rise in domestic food prices in developing Asia, home to 3.3 billion people, could push an additional 64 million people into extreme poverty.
The meeting in Thailand on May 9 and 10 will look at the food security situation in many individual Asian countries and consider the experience of ASEM partners in tackling this problem (including the European Union’s one-billion euro food facility 2009-11).
The talks are part of the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) partnership launched in 1996 to foster closer cooperation between the European Union and Asian countries.
“Food security is a global issue which involves all ASEM members because of its effect in both developed and developing countries,” says a paper prepared by Thailand ahead of the two-day meeting.
World food prices increased by 56% in 2006-2008, resulting in heightened malnutrition and hunger rates across Asia and other parts of the developing world.
There is growing concern that the world is headed for a similar crisis.
Thailand, as a key food-producing country, agreed to take the lead on food security issues at a meeting of ASEM heads of state and government held in Beijing in 2010.
The talks in Chiang Mai follow close on the heels of a meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Hanoi, Vietnam, which warned that inter-related issues of water, food, and climate change must be addressed head on to prevent the erosion of gains made in the global fight against poverty.
In a report released ahead of the annual meeting, the ADB warned that the increase in prices for many Asian food staples is "likely to continue" and could badly undermine the recent gains in poverty reduction made in Asia.
Poor families in developing Asia spend over 60 per cent of their income on food compared to a 10 per cent expenditure on food in developed nations.
A combination of factors, including population increases, rising food consumption in emerging economies, rising oil (and therefore fertiliser) prices, the use of grain to produce bio-fuels and a decrease in crop yields due to climate change are identified as some of the reasons for the current food crisis.
ASEM, with its diverse membership of food producers, exporters and importers, and bringing together countries at different levels of development, can provide a strong platform for cooperation and consultation on tackling food security challenges.
Asian and European representatives in Chiang Mai are expected to share their experiences, exchange best practices on food security as well encourage joint agricultural research initiatives.
Questions discussed will include ways of improving farmers’ livelihoods, promoting agricultural innovation and technology transfers and ensuring food security arrangements in case of emergencies.
END
ASEM has 48 partners, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Commission.
Shada Islam is a journalist in Brussels with a long experience of EU-Asia relations. This is a part of a series of articles being published by Ecorys Research and Consulting, as member of the COWI Consortium which is under contract to the European Commission, to look at different aspects of the multi-faceted Asia-Europe relationship. This article represents the views of the author and does not commit the European Commission in any way.
You are free to publish the article in its entirety or only in part in your newspapers, wire services, internet-based information networks and newsletters- and you are also free to use the information in your radio-TV discussions or as a basis for discussion in different fora. We would, however, appreciate if you could let us know when and where the article was used.
If you do not wish to receive these articles, please let us know at asem-visibility@ecorys.com.
EC support team ASEM visibility:
Ms Shada Islam
Ms Johanna Vrombaut
------------------------------------
Dear colleagues,
The eighth ASEM summit held in Brussels on October 4-5 last year helped to further boost Asia-Europe ties, with leaders from both regions discussing key global challenges and ways of strengthening political, economic and cultural ties. Russia, Australia and New Zealand were admitted as ASEM partners for the first time.
However, ASEM is not just about summits and Asia-Europe relations are not just about meetings. Asia and Europe interact with each other in myriad ways: they are connected by history, culture, business and share the challenge of living together in a rapidly changing and globalised world.
Intensified strategic cooperation between Asia and Europe will be key in tackling the challenge of sustainable development, combating climate change, ensuring peace and stability and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Easing the impact of the global economic slowdown and ensuring global growth also require Asia-Europe cooperation and consultation. As European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at the ASEM summit in Beijing in 2008, “we either swim together or sink together”.
That message remains relevant three years on. In the coming years, Asia and Europe will have to deal with all kinds of non-traditional security threats, such as pandemics, energy security, environmental protection, food security, terrorism, piracy at sea or organized crime, as well as strengthening preventive diplomacy. Partners will continue to work together on promoting inclusive socio-economic development, and on strengthening cultural understanding and inter-faith dialogue. Asia and Europe will also need to consider ways of capitalising on ASEM’s added-value in an era of G20.
Over the coming months, you will be receiving “media alerts” and articles on Asia-Europe relations and upcoming ASEM meetings from us in Ecorys Research and Consulting (contracted by the European Commission through the COWI Consortium, to work to enhance the visibility of ASEM on the global stage).
We are hoping that you will be able to use these articles, written by an independent, professional journalist, in your newspapers, wire services, internet-based information networks and newsletters. You are free to publish the articles in their entirety or only in part – and you are also free to use the information in your radio-TV discussions or as a basis for discussion in different fora. We would, however, appreciate if you could let us know when and where the article was used.
Please also let us know if you are not interested in receiving such information.
To give you some further background, here is some basic information on ASEM:
The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is a forum for dialogue between Europe and Asia. Since its establishment in 1996 ASEM has been the main multilateral channel for communication between Asia and Europe, strengthening interaction and mutual understanding.
ASEM involves virtually the whole of Asia and Europe, with 48 countries or regional bodies participating. ASEM's overall direction is set by ASEM heads of state or government meeting at Summits held every two years - alternating between European and Asian locations. Between Summits many inter-governmental ASEM meetings maintain the momentum of Asia-Europe dialogue on all political, economic, social and cultural issues of mutual interest to the partners.
The 48 ASEM partners are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the European Commission.
ASEM also brings together non-governmental stakeholders, such as lawmakers, business leaders and civil society representatives. These stakeholders meet at the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership, Asia-Europe Business Forum, and Asia Europe People’s Forum, held every two years alongside ASEM Summits.
ASEM also links the peoples of Europe and Asia through the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), funded by ASEM partners and based in Singapore. ASEF promotes understanding and collaboration between the peoples of Asia and Europe through cultural, intellectual and people-to-people exchanges.
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