The purpose of the AEPF is to contribute to the realization of a world based on the principles of peace, participatory democracy, social and environmental justice, human rights, and people’s rights to self-determination. The AEPF is a space to link visions for alternative futures.
The AEPF is a strategic civil society network of Asian and European social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and campaign networks that are confronting poverty and inequality and working for social, economic and climate justice. They are committed to opening up new venues for dialogue, solidarity, and action in an inclusive and democratic way and to building more inclusive voice, influence and access.
The AEPF is committed to working in a constructive way with the governments who are members of ASEM to implement people-centered responses to the current crises in an effective and responsible manner. Priority must be given to the poor, excluded and marginalized people and more democratic and accountable institutions must be in place to assure that processes and measures will lead to a just, equal and sustainable world based on respect for gender equality and the promotion and protection of human, economic and socio-cultural rights and environmental security.
Uniquely, the AEPF has enabled wide-ranging and constructive exchanges from representatives, within regions and between Asia and Europe.
The AEPF has developed and taken forward Peoples’ Visions, expressed in its Final Declarations.
There is a significant, expressed need and capacity to deepen, broaden and strengthen these activities and dialogues and build capacity for more networks and organizations to take these forward.
What are the Forum’s key initiatives?
2017 to 2020 is a key period with the aim of:
Deepening, broadening and strengthening citizens’ organizations’ capacity to dialogue and engage with local and national level decision makers in ASEM member countries and appropriate regional and sub-regional bodies on just, equal and inclusive social and economic initiatives, policies and alternatives.
Our Key Objectives are:
- Promoting, consolidating and strengthening the AEPF’s engagement with ASEM governments/leaders and related regional bodies and enabling people’s voices to be shared and heard
- Enabling strengthened links with/between movements/networks/forums across Asia and Europe reinforcing the EU CSOs participation and representativeness in the AEPF, and the participation of a growing number of movements, networks, forums and organizations in different AEPF activities.
- Strengthening the permanent activities of the AEPF, as a continuous network supporting the important role of civil society in Asia and Europe in contributing to more just, equal, inclusive and people-centered initiatives and, in particular strengthening the relations and exchange of good and alternatives practices between EU CSOs and Asian CSOs
The People’s Forum, which is an alternative summit to ASEM, is held every other year. The biennial forums in the past years have given priority to issues under the main themes:
- Peace and Security
- Social Justice, social protection, Decent Work, Alternatives to debt.
- Participatory democracy, Gender equality, and minority rights
- Socially Just Trade and Corporate Accountability
- Climate Justice
- Food sovereignty and food security.
- Resource Justice and land rights
The People’s Forum is neither the beginning nor the end of AEPF activities and agenda. This alternative forum highlights “the people” in Asia-Europe relations and provides opportunities for the exploration of shared interests for common action as well as the consolidation of the AEPF’s endeavors. In between the biennial People’s Forums, AEPF also carries out activities and campaigns directed at national governments and constituencies of AEPF member organizations. These campaigns are also directed towards key regional, interregional and global bodies, such as the ASEAN, EU, and ASEM.
