Background
document
Preamble
1. The forthcoming Seoul ASEM summit will be the third summit of the Heads of State or Government of the two regions, who have met every two years since the original summit. The meeting is intended to further increase the inter-regional co-operation in economic, political and cultural issues that has already been effected. Also on the agenda are expected to be trade, both regionally and regarding the prospect of a new WTO round, the legacy of the Asian Financial Crisis, and the report of a Vision Group commissioned to reflect on the future of ASEM.
2. An ICFTU / ICFTU-APRO Conference is being held 15-16 October, on the eve of the ASEM summit, in order to give affiliated organisations in both regions an opportunity to debate issues related to the ASEM process and to formulate a joint statement to be submitted to the ASEM governments. Hosting this Conference are the ICFTU affiliates FKTU and KCTU, with assistance from the FES. The conference will also be attended by representatives of international trade secretariats (ITS), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and TUAC.
3. This will be the first major Trade Union Conference to be held in conjunction with an ASEM Summit. In Bangkok in 1996 there were local union representatives present at the People's Conference held in conjunction with ASEM1, and in London in 1998, a union delegation met with the British Foreign Secretary and presented him with a list of recommendations for adoption by the Summit. This meeting in Seoul provides us with an opportunity to achieve closer integration between the unions of Asia and Europe, and to put co-ordinated pressure on the member governments to include a responsible social agenda in the ASEM process.
4. This document aims to provide background information on the history and development of ASEM, both the official meetings and the union involvement, as well as the main agenda items for the Seoul Summit. Also included will be parallels of potential use for the campaign to include a greater role for unions in the official ASEM process.
© Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung I October 2000
Draft
statement
to
ASEM 3