Since its establishment, the Boao Asia Forum has been considered an effective channel for exchanging opinions on the most concerning economic issues over the past two decades.
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| Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang spoke at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference on March 30, 3. (Source: Kyodo) |
Entering the 21st century, with the continuous development of globalization and economic regionalization, the acceleration of European economic integration and the further development of the North American Free Trade Area, the Asian countries are facing great opportunities as well as many challenges.
How to deal with the challenges brought by globalization to countries in the region, maintain the healthy development of the regional economy and strengthen mutual coordination and cooperation have become the common problems facing Asian countries.
Circumstances of birth and goals
Although Asian countries and regions have participated in trans-regional international conference organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), but for the entire Asian region, there is still a lack of an Asian-led forum organization to specifically discuss Asian issues from the perspective of Asian interests and perspectives towards Asia. other regions and globally.
Faced with the above situation, in 1998, former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, former Philippine President Difel V Ramos and former Japanese Prime Minister Hosokawa Morihiro, proposed the idea of an "Asian Forum", similar in nature to the “Davos World Economic Forum”. The idea was agreed upon by relevant countries right from its launch. A year later, the idea was supported by Beijing.
On February 26-27, 2, officials from 2001 countries attended a conference to establish the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), held in Boao town, Qionghai city. , Hainan province, China. The conference officially announced the establishment of the Forum and adopted programmatic documents such as "BFA on Asia Declaration", "BFA Guiding Principles on Asia Charter", attracting attention. of international media.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam at that time attended the opening ceremony as a special guest and affirmed: "BFA is the result of the efforts of leaders of Asian countries with the ideas good ideas, not only for the benefit of each country but also for the good future of the entire continent in the new century and new millennium. As a member of the Forum, Vietnam commits to actively participating in activities, contributing to making the forum effective.
Since its inception, BFA, as an international non-governmental and non-profit organization, has become a platform for dialogue between government leaders, industry and business as well as as academic circles of countries in Asia and other continents on important issues in Asia and the world. The Forum's objectives and content focus mainly on economic issues for Asia, especially strengthening trade cooperation, investment and regional integration; promote business development for the goals of sustainable economic progress and social responsibility; promote cooperation and partnership between countries inside and outside the region for the development, peace, security and prosperity of Asia. Currently, there are 29 countries that are members of the Forum.
Operating structure
BFA's organizational structure includes five components:
One is the General Assembly of members. This is the highest authoritative structure of the Forum and is held once a year. The General Assembly is prepared by the Forum Secretariat, and relevant agendas will be communicated to members one month in advance.
Second is the Management Board. The BFA Management Board is the highest executive body of the General Assembly of members, responsible to the General Assembly of members, which meets once a year, and is responsible for supervising and general direction of the Forum's work. The Management Board is elected by official members of the Forum through voting before the General Assembly of members. This board consists of 11 members, the General Secretary and a representative from the host (Bac Ngao) are natural members of the management board, the remaining nine members come from founding members, honorary members and members. enterprise.
Third is the Advisory Committee, is made up of members selected from prominent figures in politics, business and academia.
The term of the Advisory Committee is five years and can be extended after expiration. Members of the Advisory Committee are not compensated unless they are authorized to participate in forum-related work.
The Advisory Committee, based on the needs of the Forum, conducts occasional working conferences and provides comments and recommendations based on relevant issues.
Fourth is the Secretariat. The Secretariat is the permanent executive body of the BFA. Responsible for carrying out various forum activities. The Secretary General is the Executive Director of the Forum and head of the Secretariat.
Fifth is the Research Institute, established in 2001, which is an important intellectual support agency of the Forum. The main functions of the Research Institute include providing annual agendas and themes based on research and analysis of the world economy; organize the drafting and publication of economic forecasts related to the forum's operations; provide timely first-hand information on important developments in the region, and discuss and research major economic, trade, commercial and financial issues in the region and with key partners area; Responsible for providing intellectual resources for annual meetings, seminars and other special meetings of the forum; human resource training for members and other partners; responsible for establishing working networks and information exchange centers in Asia and even around the world.
This is where annual reports such as "Asian Economic Integration Report", "Asian Competitiveness Report", "Emerging Economies Report", "Asian Financial Report" are released. ASIAN".
Enhance the role of Asia
BFA is considered an effective channel to exchange opinions on the most concerning economic issues over the past two decades. The 2023 forum will be held in Bo Ngao with the theme "An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development Amidst Challenges".
The event attracted about 2.000 delegates from 50 countries and territories. Discussions revolved around the conference's theme and four key issues, including development and inclusion, efficiency and security, regional and global and present and future. The forum reached consensus on many issues, especially strengthening cooperation to enhance the role of Asia.
According to the BFA Report on January 10, "Asia continues to strengthen its position as one of the major global innovation centers in the world's science and technology innovation system." . Accordingly, the Global Innovation Index 1, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, shows that five countries, including Singapore, China, South Korea, Japan and Israel, are among the 2023 economies the world's most innovative. Southeast Asia and East Asia are closing the gap with Europe in innovation.
Mr. Ly Bao Dong, Secretary General of BFA, said that with its wealth of intellectual resources and long tradition of innovation, Asia is a great home for global development and innovation.
In the current world context, the theme of BFA 2024 is expected to be "Asia and the world: Common challenges, Common responsibilities" with four main topics: world economy, science, technology and innovation, social development and international cooperation and four main fields: global economy, scientific and technological innovation, social development and international cooperation, each field reflects the main theme of unite for development.
