WORKSHOP II
THE WELFARE OF PEOPLE:
"Summary of Discussions"
Final Report
CONVERGENCE
The post Cold-War world sees a dramatic shift from preoccupation with political ideologies towards a pervasive sense of economic realism. This present period sees most of the societies of Asia and Europe focused on the achievement of a better life for the present generation and the assurance of sustainable prosperity for the next generations. The best efforts are being exerted today to create sufficient employment and raise standards of living in our societies. There is recognition that economic growth is an indispensable condition for employment sustainability, the provision of essential social services and the strengthening of our institutions. The liberalization measures that have been put in place induce better economic performance as much as they encourage us to rethink the modalities for securing the welfare of peoples.
Efforts to ensure more robust growth and more efficient value creation in our societies are increasingly conscious of the need to preserve the integrity of the environment so that we do not meet today's needs by depriving future generations of the ability to meet theirs. These efforts are also increasingly conscious of the need to close disparities and inequalities across gender and ethnic lines.
There is consensus that even as the transformation of institutions and social forms is inevitable, societies ought to be directed by a profound concern for human dignity and a deep respect for diversity. Choice is a preferred value that is encouraged by the free market and by humane institutions of governance.
DIFFERENTIATIONS
The nature of economic development in Asia and Europe has several unique characteristics. Among the more mature industrial societies, the concern tends to be centered on evolving new ways to assure welfare in the face of the labor-saving characteristic of technology-driven growth as well as the need to introduce greater flexibility in place of the welfare state arrangements that were evolved in the earlier decades of this century. The demographic features of mature industrial societies require more attention to the care of the elderly preferably in new ways that involve voluntary organizations that preserve relations of compassion between young and old.
Among the rapidly emerging economies especially in Asia economic growth is principally motivated by the desire to spread prosperity, broaden the base of participation in productivity and remedy inequalities in society. The concerns, in this case, are the preservation of social cohesion in the face of rapid transformation and the assurance of environmental protection specially for the benefit of vulnerable communities dependent on a harmonious relationship between man and nature. Rapid growth likewise causes great pressure for change to bear upon existing institutions.
COOPERATION
We have great optimism that spreading growth in Asia and sustained growth in Europe will lead to both intense competition and greater collaboration. There will be multiplying opportunities to build mutually beneficial partnerships across the two zones through improved value creation.
Deepening liberalization and more intensive trade will emphasize each society's comparative advantages and bring about even closer cooperative relations between the two zones.
We expect to see joint creation of economic wealth through greater investment flows, enhanced technology transfers, better conditions for trade and more open markets.
We expect improvements in the joint creation of social value through a fairer wage system, larger capacity to invest in our young and care for our old, in more comprehensive sharing of knowledge and expertise.
The protection of the environment may be enhanced through more systematic sharing of expertise and the evolution of comparable environmental regulations. The welfare of our peoples, as well as the protection of vulnerable communities, will be better assured by consistently maintaining a holistic view of the inseparability of economic development, the preservation of ecological balance and the strengthening of social cohesion.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS
In the light of the abovementioned considerations, we advance the following recommendations for consideration within the framework of the ASEM:
1) The enhancement of exchange of "green" and appropriate technologies through a continuing program within ASEM.
2) The development of youth exchange, language study and internship programs among young Asians and Europeans to advance both inter-cultural understanding and technology transfers.
3) The initiation of a policy dialogue aimed at achieving comparable standards of social protection and welfare as well as the encouragement of continuing interaction among government officials, private enterprises, voluntary organizations and scholars concerned with the provision of social welfare.
4) The development of cooperative human resource development programs that address disparities across ethnic and gender groups, enhance the capacities of our societies to assure broad-based development and assure the dynamic diversity of our societies including the protection of minority cultures.
5) We ask for the organisers of next year's meeting to pay specific attention to the relationship between the growing mass of the aging population and the comparatively smaller numbers of the active population involved in production.
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