Conference Orientation
The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), established in 1996, is an intergovernmental process to foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. The ASEM Summit is a biennial meeting between the Head of State and Government, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. ASEM addresses political, economic, financial, social, cultural, and education issues of common interest in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership of the countries of both continents. Today, ASEM comprises 53 Partners: 30 European and 21 Asian countries, the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat. Cambodia is privileged going to host the 13th ASEM Summit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the uncertainty of hosting the conference in a physical format is high. Therefore, the KAS-ASEM Youth Summit 2021 was conducted virtually on Saturday, April 24, 2021. We had honored to welcome 60 Youth Delegates from six different nationalities and five different places of residence across Asia and Europe to discuss the problems and possible solutions to the existing economic, financial, social, cultural, educational, political and security issues that the two regions are dealing with right now. The Conference was started by the Opening Remarks of Ms. Isabel Weininger, KAS Cambodia Country Representative, followed by the special disucssion with Ms. Pich Charadine, Deputy-Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) on ASEM Cooperation and Cambodian ASEM Chairmanship, before the panel discussions took place throughout the entire day.
Theme Introduction
Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth
At the closing session of the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (ASEMFMM14), His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn officially announced ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth’ as the official theme of the 13th ASEM Summit (ASEM13), expected to be held on November 16-17 2020, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The theme was proposed as a reflection of the Kingdom’s efforts to promote ASEM as one of the cornerstones of global governance. Its thematic concept focuses on the interaction of four main ideas: Multilateralism, Growth, Sustainable Development and Prosperity, believing that reinforcing Asia-Europe partnership, multilateralism will bring about global growth that is not only ‘sustainable’ but can also be ‘shared.’
Pillar Committees & Committee Topics
Political Pillar Committee
Strengthening Multilateralism for Cross-regional Peace and Security in the Post-COVID-19 World
Identified Problems:
- The Setbacks of Myanmar’s Democracy and the Failures of Effective International Responses
- Limited and Inequitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Less-Developed Countries
- All Forms of Human Rights Violations
The Committee was co-chared by: Mr. Oudom Oum and Mr. Seang Hay Suy
Economic and Financial Pillar Committee
Strengthening Multilateralism for Cross-regional Connectivity of the Post-COVID-19 Economic Resilience
Identified Problems:
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Asia and Europe
- The Disruption of Global Supply Chains During COVID-19
- Increased Unemployment of International Migrant Workers
The Committee was co-chared by: Ms. Virak Kanhapich & Ms. Davy Koem
Social, Cultural, and Educational Pillar
Strengthening Multilateralism for Post-COVID-19 Sustainable Development
Identified Problems:
- The Issue of Violence Against Women and Girls Across Asia and Europe
- Inequality Between Men and Women in the Labor Market in Europe and Central Asia
- LGBT+ Discrimination Across Europe and Asia Leading to Social Inequality
The Committee was co-chared by: Ms. Sochetra Sork & Ms. Leanghong Yeang
The Joint-Statement of the summit was affirmatively adopted by the KAS-ASEM Youth Delegates, representing the collective voice of young people on those existing issues and can possibly serve as an insightful item for the ASEM governments’ decision-making.
The Conference was co-chaired by: Mr. Oudom Oum & Ms. Sovanmony Tea.
