The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Conference on Cultures and Civilizations held in Beijing from Dec. 3 to 4 issued the Chairman's Statement Thursday, elaborating on stance and consensus on cultural diversity and unity reached by the 26 ASEM members. The excerpts of the statement are as follows:

The Ministers noted that dialogue and cooperation among cultures and civilizations is one of the effective means to enhance knowledge, understanding and tolerance and to avoid misunderstanding and conflicts among different nations and countries. Progress in science and technology and growth of economic globalization have brought about both opportunities and challenges to the world peace and development. On the one hand, the world has become more open, more inter-linked and integrated at least by means of communications. On the other hand, the world is far from tranquil and mankind is facing many grim challenges including terrorism. Conflicts arise time and again from perceived ethnic and religious contradictions, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. This has attracted worldwide concern since the end of the Cold War.

Cultural diversity is a fundamental feature of world cultures and a form of manifestation of world civilizations. The ASEM family is home to some of the world's oldest and richest civilizations. ASEM can and should make a contribution to the promotion of dialogue, understanding and mutual respect among different cultures and civilizations of the world.

The Ministers noted that sound and sustained cultural ties secure an all-round development of international relations. Dialogue between cultures and civilizations as rich and diverse as those of Europe and Asia has created a platform for transcending a model of globalization that seeks to impose uniformity, and for the definition of responses to the diversity of situations and complexity of the international situation, in a spirit of mutual respect, without loss of identity and by means of complementary approaches.

Geographic convenience and long-standing interaction have laid a favorable foundation for enhanced cultural exchange and cooperation among ASEM partners. Fortified by their long history of ordeals, positive experiences, contributions and mutual enrichment, Europe and Asia consider cultural diversity to be a true source of innovation, inspiration and progress for human society. Openness to other cultures is a source of strength and may be seen as a driving force behind the development of civilizations. Respect for and promotion of cultural diversity, together with dialogue among civilizations, have imparted fresh impetus to the all-round development of relations between Asia and Europe.

The Ministers also took note of the growing degrees and instances of regional integration happening throughout the world, especially in Europe, through the European Union (EU), and in Asia, primarily through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN+3. Cultural diversity does not necessarily hinder integration but can be the source of richness and strength, as exemplified by ASEAN and EU. The Ministers considered ASEM to be a useful forum for Asia and Europe to exchange ideas and experiences on how to respect and promote cultural diversity, while pursuing processes of regional integration and community-building.

Based on the above consensus, the conference adopted policy directions for future cooperation: to expand and intensify the work of ASEM in the field of cultural and educational exchanges; to welcome the initiative taken by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to elaborate a convention on cultural diversity; to imbibe the values of mutual respect and appreciation of different cultures in our youths in schools and universities by exposing them early to the diversity and richness of different cultures.

The conference also adopted the follow-up actions: to continue to enhance the awareness that political, economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation are three intertwining pillars of the ASEM cooperation; to encourage exchange activities between young people from Asian and European countries; to encourage the organization and mutual participation of cultural and arts festivals so as to promote mutual cultural recognition; to submit the Chairman's Statement to UNESCO; and to hold the next ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilizations in France.
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2003)