Vientiane, Laos:  The 7th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP) Meeting will gather the leaders of ASEP member-Parliaments to share their thoughts and exchange views on current regional and global issues of common interest under the theme of  Asia-Europe partnership for sustainable development.   More information is available at the ASEP7 website.   For more information kindly contact:   Lao National Assembly That Luang Square, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR P.O. Box 662   Phone: (856-21) 413 547 Fax: (856-21) 413 547, 413 515   Email: asep7secretariat@na.gov.la; p_vongsa@yahoo.com Website: www.asep7.gov.la

The 3rd ASEM Rectors’ Conference will be co-organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation with the University of Groningen (RUG) in The Netherlands (2012) and the ASEAN University Network (AUN) in September 2012. It will build on the results of the 2nd ASEM Rectors' Conference (Seoul, October 2010) and the Asia-Europe Education Workshops (2nd and 3rd editions).   Themed, Universities, Businesses and You: For a Sustainable Future, the topics to be tackled in Groningen will be informed by the priorities laid out in the ASEMME3 Chair’s Conclusions (Copenhagen, May 2011) such as university-business cooperation, lifelong learning and other higher education trends and developments.   More information can be found on the website of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), which is organising this event.     Registration ends 30 April 2012.   External registration links:

The 6th Meeting of the ASEM Working Group on Customs Matters (AWC) will be held back-to-back with the 3rd ASEM Customs-Trade Day.   On Tuesday 18-19 September 2012, the Thai Customs Department hosted the 6th Meeting of the ASEM Working Group on Customs Matters Meeting (AWC) at the Le Meridian Grand Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand. This Meeting was chaired by Mr.Tanat Suvattanametakul, Deputy Director-General of Thai Customs. In addition, the ASEM Customs-Trade-Day, focusing on Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) was also organized back to back with the 6th AWC meeting on 17 September 2012, with the key objective to enhance the partnership between Customs and private sectors.   The 6th AWC Meeting brought together 48 representatives from 27 the ASEM members as well as international organizations: the European Commission as well as the World Customs Organization (WCO). The Meeting focused on four priority areas, namely Trade Facilitation and Security Supply Chain, Combating Counterfeiting and Customs IPR Enforcement, Protecting the Society and the Environment, including Involving Business. In addition, 40 participants from private sectors also attended the ASEM Customs Trade Day.   It is expected that the Meeting would enhance the excellent cooperation of two regions between Asia and Europe. It also…

With more than two hundred properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, cities are one of the most abundant and diverse categories of heritage. This quantity and diversity add to the dynamics of urban heritage conservation, where concepts and approaches are constantly changing and evolving.   The 5th ASEM Culture Minister Meeting exchanged knowledge and experience with regard to the protection and management of the natural and cultural landscape pursuant to sustainability values. It shall also explore the creation of a platform for future cooperation for urban planning policies in ASEM countries with regard to existing global solutions. The 5th ASEM CMM provided a forum for ASEM Partners to discuss and design a plan of action aimed at (a) identifying and solving various existing problems and (b) identifying the management of historic urban landscape with sustainable management.   As response to the results and recommendations of the 4th ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting in Poznan (2010), the 5th ASEM CMM carries the theme, Managing Heritage Cities for a Sustainable Future, which was further elaborated under four working groups: Strengthening good governance of historic city Conserving historic urban landscapes in response to challenges and disasters Heritage cities as generators of creative economy Promoting heritage…