ASEM people`s forum concludes

The ASEM 2000 people`s forum, a non-government organization, concluded a two-day meeting at Konkuk University in Seoul on Thursday with participants adopting a popular vision. The vision covered labor, environment, human rights and elimination of poverty.

Under the theme, ¡°Toward a society with sustainable justice and equality,¡± the forum dealt with 12 topics, including children, youth, women, workers, farmers, human rights, environment, education, international organizations, elimination of poverty and alternative security. The popular vision is the final conclusion of the workshop on 13 subdivisions and is a revised version of the popular vision adopted at the ASEM in London in 1998.

"The popular vision had to be discussed officially at the ASEM,¡± Choi Yul, executive chairman of the people`s forum, said. ¡°It is the problems faced by regional NGO representatives in Asia and Europe and is a demand by f the civil society to the government, which reflects the common desire of the citizens."

To create such a popular vision, the participating groups discussed topics through the Internet for the past several months, and they exchanged views for the duration of the people`s forum, according to Cho Hyo-Je, chairman of the People`s Forum's international cooperation committee.

Walden Bello, representative of the Focus on the Global South, who has been participating in the forum since the first meeting in Bangkok, said that people`s forum has performed activities to pose a strong protest against the corporation-friendly globalization that official ASEM has shown so far. He noted that such activities will be continued at the fourth ASEM, which will be held in Copenhagen in 2002.

Suh Young-A sya@donga.com