Posted on 08 Sep 2010
The 4th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Culture Ministers' Meeting will be taking place in Poznan, Poland, from 8-10 September 2010. Poznan was chosen as the venue for this year's Culture Ministers' Meeting as it is considered the cradle of the Polish nation.
ASEM Culture Ministers will be discussing Heritage and the Challenges of the Present, focusing on issues of heritage conservation. This topic was introduced by Poland as one of the crucial aspects of cultural diversity during the 3rd ASEM Culture Ministers' Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is especially relevant for partners of the ASEM, which is home to some of the world's oldest and richest civilisations.
The upcoming 4th ASEM Culture Ministers' Meeting, which earlier had two preparatory meetings in Krakow, Poland (2008) and in Solo, Indonesia (2010), will also aim to develop a common position on the heritage preservation. This will complement the work of UNESCO. The meeting will also be accompanied by the opening of Mediations Biennale 2010, an exhibition of contemporary Asian and European art on 10 September at the Zamek Centre of Culture in Poznan.
Originally entitled, ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilisations (COCC), the ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting occurs every two or three years to discuss cultural diversity and cooperation between Asia and Europe.
The first ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilisations was held from 3-4 December 2003, which was hosted by China as a follow-up to the 4th ASEM Summit held in Copenhagen in 2002. The first meeting called for the development of a long term plan on promoting dialogue among civilisations and increasing cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe.
This long-term plan was followed-up during the second ASEM Conference on Cultures and Civilisations, which was held from 6-11 June 2005 in Paris, France. Ministers adopted the Action Plan of Culture Ministers, which encouraged cultural interactions among the peoples of Asia and Europe at all levels; Ministers also agreed to rename the meeting to its present name, the ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting. The meeting's theme was Cultural Diversity: Opportunities and Challenges – ASEM's long term plan.
The 3rd ASEM Culture Ministers' Meeting followed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in April 2008, entitled "Cultural Diversity – Realizing the Action Plan" and followed up on the Action Plan adopted during the 2nd ASEM CMM. Cultural Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Action Plan, in particular by enhancing networking between cultural professionals, promoting cultural and artistic exchanges, and facilitating cooperation between artistic institutions.
For more information, you can read the Final Chairman's Statements from the 3 ASEM CMMs:
