The Second Intellectual Dialogue on Building Asia’s Tomorrow was held on July 12–13, 1999, in Singapore on the theme of “Promoting Sustainable Development and Human Security.” As the recent financial crisis cruelly exposed, economic growth in many countries of East Asia has been pursued in an unbalanced fashion without commensurate political and social development or due regard for the environment. This imbalance requires serious attention if it is to be redressed and future economic growth is to be sustained over the long term. Although this task poses enormous challenges, not least for the countries hardest hit by the crisis, an important opportunity now presents itself to step back and rethink the underlying human security requirements for sustainable development in the region.
Some 50 intellectuals from ASEAN countries, China, South Korea, and the United States assembled with the goal of generating practical policy recommendations. On the first day, participants assessed key issues in the emerging debate on sustainable development and human security in Asia, seeking to identify the relevant needs and potential problems and to indicate where feasible solutions might lie. The second day focused on the role that global and regional institutions, as well as civil society in general, can play in promoting sustainable development and human security. A lecture was given by Professor Amartya K. Sen, 1998 Nobel Prize winner in economics. The conference report was published in both English and Japanese.
JCIE Publications | Sustainable Development and Human Security
This report provides a detailed synopsis of the presentations, discussion, and principal points from a two-day conference of leading intellectuals considering the underlying human security requirements for generating sustainable development in Asia Pacific.
The need to define new strategies for sustainable development that attach greater priority to safeguarding human security emerged as one of the principal conclusions of the first Intellectual Dialogue on Building Asia’s Tomorrow held in Tokyo on December 2-3, 1998. The purpose of the two-day conference was to stimulate regionwide intellectual exchange on balanced sustainable growth with the ultimate goal of generating practical policy recommendations. The first day assessed key issues in the emerging debate on sustainable development and human security in Asia to identify the relevant needs and potential problems as well as feasible solutions. The second day focused on the role that global and regional institutions as well as civil society in general can play in promoting sustainable development and human security.
Day 1: Key Issues in Sustainable Development and Human Security
Session One: Good Governance—Is There an Asian Model?
With some notable exceptions, the development process in East Asia is generally considered to have been hindered and distorted by poor standards of governance in the public and corporate sectors. How to improve the overall quality of governance has consequently become a central and also highly controversial issue. More specifically, whether Western practices and prescriptions should be adopted or whether a distinctly Asian model of good governance can be defined and practiced remains a contentious question. Session one explored this point in depth.
Session Two: Social Safety Nets—How Desirable, How Feasible?
The human costs incurred by the recent financial crisis have prompted calls for new or improved “social safety nets” or programs designed to ensure access to basic health, education, and unemployment benefits for those most in need. How to fund and implement such programs in East Asia represents an enormous challenge, however. This session examined the desirability and feasibility of social safety nets in detail, drawing on the experience of countries in and outside the region.
Session Three: Human Resource Development—Where to Invest in the Future?
With the next century expected to place an even greater premium on knowledge and technology to compete effectively in the global marketplace, Asian countries must ensure that they invest appropriately in their “social capital” or risk the economic and political consequences. This session assessed the current needs of East Asian countries and the ways in which their educational standards, vocational training, and, more generally, intellectual resources can be expanded and improved.
Session Four: Protecting the Environment—How to Balance Economic Needs?
The rapid economic growth of East Asian countries has exacted an immense toll on the region’s environment. Pollution in many cities, rivers, and coastal areas has risen to levels considered dangerous to public health and wildlife. Unplanned or unregulated development has similarly degraded the region’s natural resources, putting at risk the economic and social well-being of future generations. This session will assess ways in which the environment can be protected without sacrificing future economic growth.
Day 2: The Role of International Institutions and Civil Society
Session One: The Role of Global Institutions
Because sustainable development in Asia will depend greatly on the evolution of the world’s rules and institutions governing financial transactions and free trade, this session was devoted to assessing current arrangements and proposed reforms.
Session Two: The Role of Regional Institutions
As the region’s economies grow more interdependent and as each country becomes increasingly exposed to problems that are transnational in character and therefore beyond their individual capacity to control, the benefits of regional cooperation can only grow. Unfortunately, the financial crisis has done much to arrest the pace of regional cooperation and in some cases even brought it into question. This session examined specific ways to reinvigorate such regional institutions as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and more generally promote further regional cooperation to address a host of common problems.
Session Three: The Role of Civil Society
Civil society can play a valuable—even crucial—role in promoting sustainable development and human security in Asia. More specifically, the actions of civil society can complement and even substitute for government-sponsored measures, not least in enhancing various aspects of human security. The key, however, is to encourage what has been termed an “enabling environment” for civil society to flourish in an independent, responsible, and productive fashion. This session focused on how such an environment can be promoted in Asia and how civil society can in turn address a variety of human security concerns.
Session Four: Conclusions—Defining an Intellectual Agenda for the Future
The final session discussed specific ways in which intellectual dialogue and research in Asia can be promoted for the purposes of enhancing sustainable development and human security.
July 12
Opening Remarks
Chia Siow Yue, Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Tadashi Yamamoto, President, Japan Center for International Exchange
Session I Good Governance—Is There an Asian Model?
Presenter
Anggito Abimanyu, PAU Study Economic, University Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta
Commentators
Akihiko Tanaka, Professor, Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo
Jusuf Wanandi, Chairman, Supervisory Board, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta
Moderator
Chia Siow Yue
Session II Social Safety Net—How Desirable, How Feasible?
Presenter
Mukul Asher, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
Commentators
Kyoji Komachi, Director, General Affairs Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency
Le Dang Doanh, President, Central Institute for Economic Management, Hanoi
Moderator
Jesus Estanislao, University Professor, University of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines
Session III Human Resource Development—Where to Invest in the Future?
Presenter
Somkiat Tangkitvanich, Thailand Development Research Institute
Commentators
Dante Canlas, Professor, School of Economics, University of the Philippines
Mohamed Ariff, President, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research
Moderator
Ahn Byung-joon, Professor, Yonsei University, Seoul
Session IV Protecting the Environment—How to Balance Economic Needs?
Presenter
Hiroya Ichikawa, Professor, Sophia University
Commentators
Carolina Hernandez, President, Institute of Strategic and Development Studies, University of Philippines
Lorraine Elliot, Research Fellow, Department of International Relations, Research School of Pacific & Asian Studies, Canberra
Moderator
Chalongphob Sussangkarn, President, Thailand Development Research Institute
Second Asia Pacific Lecture
Professor Amartya K. Sen, 1998 Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
July 13
Panel Discussion Cross-Sectoral Cooperation in Addressing Human Security Issues
Panelists
Keizo Takemi, State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Tommy Koh, Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation
Shiv Someshwar, Assistant Director, Office of the Vice President, The Rockefeller Foundation
M.G. Quibria, Assistant Chief Economist, Economic Analysis and Research Division, The Asian Development Bank
Moderator
Tadashi Yamamoto
Session V: The Roles of Global and Regional Institutions
Presenters
Jesus Estanislao
Hadi Soesastro, Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta
Commentator
Hiroaki Fujii, President, The Japan Foundation
Moderator
Jusuf Wanandi
Session VI: The Role of Civil Society
Presenters
Erna Witoelar, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Philanthropic Consortium
Commentators
Jung Ku-Hyung, Dean, Graduate School of Business Administration, Yonsei University, Korea
Simon Tay, Acting Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs
Moderator
Mohamed Ariff
Session VII Conclusions: Defining an Intellectual Agenda for the Future
Presenter
Zhang Yunling, Director, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Commentators
Arun Mahizhnan, Deputy Director, Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore
Charles Morrison, President, The East-West Center
Moderator
Chia Siow Yue
Closing Remarks
Chia Siow Yue
Tadashi Yamamoto
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Anggito ABIMANYU |
PAU Studi Ekonomi, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia |
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AHN Byung-joon |
Professor, Yonsei University, South Korea |
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Mukul G. ASHER |
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
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Mohamed ARIFF |
Executive Director, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, Malaysia |
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Dantes B. CANLAS |
Enrique Virata Professor of Economics, University of the Philippines, Philippines |
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CHIA Siow Yue |
Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore |
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Paula DONOVAN |
Director, The World Bank, Singapore |
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Lorraine ELLIOTT |
Research Fellow, Department of International Relations, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Australia |
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Jesus P. ESTANISLAO |
Professor, University of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines |
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Hiroaki FUJII |
President, The Japan Foundation, Japan |
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Akiko FUKUSHIMA |
Senior Researcher, International Cooperation Department, National Institute for Research Advancement, Japan |
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Peter F. GEITHNER |
Advisor, Asia Center, Harvard University, U.S.A. |
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Carolina G. Hernandez |
President, Institute of Strategic and Development Studies, University of the Philippines, Philippines |
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Hiroya ICHIKAWA |
Professor, Sophia University, Japan |
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Akira IRIYAMA |
President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan |
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JUNG Ku-Hyun |
Dean, Graduate School of Business Administration, Yonsei University, South Korea |
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Takashi KIUCHI |
Research Director, Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, Japan |
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Tommy KOH |
Executive Director, Asia-Europe Foundation, Singapore |
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Kyoji KOMACHI |
Director, General Affairs Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) |
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LE Dang Doanh |
President, Central Institute for Economic Management, Vietnam |
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Arun MAHIZHNAN |
Deputy Director, The Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore |
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Charles MORRISON |
President, East-West Center, U.S.A. |
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Toshiro OZAWA |
Acting Director, Japan Institute of International Affairs, Japan |
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Wisarn PUPPHAVESA |
Dean, School of Development Economics, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand |
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Jon S.T. QUAH |
Professor, Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
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M.G. QUIBRIA |
Assistant Chief Economic, Asian Development Bank, Philippines |
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Leonard SEBASTIAN |
Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore |
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Amartya K. SEN |
Master, Trinity College, Cambridge University, U.K. |
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SHENG Hong |
Research Fellow, Unirule Institute of Economics, China |
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Hadi SOESASTRO |
Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia |
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Shivsharan SOMESHWAR |
Assistant Director, Office of the Vice President, The Rockefeller Foundation, U.S. |
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Paul B. STARES |
Director of Studies, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) |
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Chalongphob SUSSANGKARN |
President, Thailand Development Research Institute, Thailand |
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SYARISA Yanti Abubakar |
Research Officer, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, Malaysia |
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Keizo TAKEMI |
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Japan |
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Akihiko TANAKA |
Professor, Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, Japan |
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Tatsuya TANAMI |
Deputy Director of International Affairs, The Nippon Foundation, Japan |
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Somkiat TANGKITVANICH |
Research Specialist, Thailand Development Research Institute, Thailand |
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Simon TAY |
Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
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U THAN SWE |
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Mandalay University, Myanmar |
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Jusuf WANANDI |
Chairman, Supervisory Board, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia |
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Michael WESLEY |
Research Fellow, Asia-Australia Institute, University of New South Wales, Australia |
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Erna WITOELAR |
Executive Director, Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium, Indonesia |
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Tadashi YAMAMOTO |
President, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) |
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ZHANG Yunling |
Director, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China |
