ASEM Culture Ministers’ Meeting Adopts Action Plans

14 October 2014




Source: Bernama (Malaysia)
Source type: News Agency
Published on: 23 Apr 2008

The Third Asia-Europe Culture Ministers' Meeting (ASEM CMM) ended here today with the adoption of seven action plans which reaffirm their commitment to the implementation of the Cultural Action Plan adopted at the Second ASEM CMM.

Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said one of the new action plans was to further enhance networking among professionals in the cultural and audiovisual fields through the existing professional networks.

"We also agreed to promote exchanges and performances, exhibitions, and literary works and audiovisual programmes between the two continents," he told reporters here Wednesday.

Shafie said the other plan was aimed at encouraging initiatives for promoting understanding of the diverse cultures, particularly among the younger generation.

The participants also agreed to facilitate the development of co-productions and cooperation between theatres, art centres, museums, publishers, audiovisual operators, as well as that of artist residences and training courses for young professionals, he added.

While appreciating the richness and variety of cultural festivals in Asian and European countries, the ASEM culture ministers also called for intercultural dialogue, parallel to and in cooperation with the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.

With regards to the launching of Culture360 portal at the Seventh Asem Summit in Beijing this October, the ministers requested the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) to step up its effort and to continuously develop the portal.

Shafie regards the third ASEM CCM themed "Cultural Diversity: Realising the Action Plan", which gathered 97 delegations from 37 countries, as a success.

"For example, the digitalisation projects for the cultural industries will provide value-added services that promote local content to the global audience," he said earlier in his closing speech.

China's representative Xue Xian Wang, from the Foreign Ministry, praised the Malaysian government for attaching importance to the meeting and to dialogue and cooperation in promoting culture between Asia and Europe.

"The prime minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) opened the meeting while the deputy prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) attended the dinner. This shows the commitment of the Malaysian government," he said.

Singapore's Information, Communication and Arts Senior Minister Lui Tuck Yew said Abdullah's comments about the need to involve young people and to find ways to bring them together had guided the meeting.

"The success of the meeting is a wonderful testimony to the other countries of what this country is all about," he said.

Poland's Culture and National Heritage Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski congratulated Malaysia for the successful meeting, describing it as a good example before Poland hosts the next meeting in 2010.