Sunset in Goa

Young Asian leaders met in a brainstorming retreat and conference in Goa, India recently to discuss concrete ideas for the future of the area. This intensive retreat/workshop, entitled Building a Better Asia, focused on major issues confronting Asia such as the environment and improving cooperation among countries in the region.

This next generation of 20 young Asian leaders from 12 countries gathered in Goa from 17-24 February, and immediately set to work exchanging opinions and ideas for creating a better Asia. They took time from their busy schedules to exchange and debate a variety of new concepts and opinions during a solid week of substantial discussions.

This was the third gathering of young Asian leaders. The first was in November 2006 in Beijing and was sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. 18 representatives of Asian countries gathered at Beijing University for that conference. The second meeting was held in Singapore with the sponsorship of the Nippon Foundation and the cooperation of the Singapore Information Resource Center. The next meeting will be held once again in Beijing following the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Goa conference was attended by university professors, NGO researchers, artists, and representatives from various walks of life in the 30-40 year old range. All participants embraced the concept of a "borderless Asia" in discussing important topics facing the future of the region.

Each day's program started with a guest speaker who kicked off the day's theme, and then followed intensive discussions among the participants who divided into smaller groups. These groups then brought their conclusions back for the consideration of the full gathering. In the afternoons, the participants went out into the community to interview local people to get the realistic opinions of men and women actually engaged in making a living on a day to day basis. These interviews took place in hospitals, market places, on Goa's beaches, and in the street.

ASEAN General-Secretary and former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan made a guest appearance at the retreat to talk with the young leaders. He emphasized the need for expanding the network of young leaders in order to work out the important problems facing Asia. He added that this type of informal dialogue among young Asian leaders was necessary for creating the expansion of human potential in the region.

The retreat concluded with a unified view that more cooperation and effort needs to be made among Asia's peoples for a better future for everyone. This "borderless" concept, they concluded, will help solve future issues in a much more expeditious way to the whole area's satisfaction. One participant also remarked at the fact that two of the meetings taking place in Asia's two largest countries was a good portent for the future.