Asem Education Secretariat (Aes)

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an intergovernmental process established in 1996 to foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. Currently, it comprises 53 Partners: 30 European and 21 Asian countries, the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat. ASEM addresses political, economic, social, cultural, and educational issues of common interest, in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership. The ASEM Process takes place under 3 different pillars: - political pillar - economical pillar - social, cultural and educational pillar The ASEM Education Process established in 2008 by the ASEM Ministers of Education belongs to the third pillar. It provides a platform for transregional dialogue and collaboration through various initiatives and projects in the field of education and puts a strong focus on higher education and lifelong learning. The ASEM Education Process works on the basis of a two-year cycle which begins and ends with the ASEM Education Ministers Meeting (ASEMME), held once every two years. The Ministers’ meeting is prepared by the Intermediate Senior Officials’ Meeting (ISOM) and two Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOM1 and SOM2) with the support of the ASEM Education Secretariat (AES). During the Ministerial Meetings, Ministers set the political and practical agenda of the ASEM Education Process by agreeing on its policy orientation, programmes and projects. These initiatives include working groups with experts, conferences and seminars, mobility programmes, publications and online tools, peer learning activities and research programmes. This page is administered and managed by the ASEM Education Secretariat (AES). The AES rotates every four years between an Asian and a European member. It was first hosted by Germany (2009-2013), followed by Indonesia (2013-2017) and Belgium (2018-2022). It is currently hosted by Italy until end 2026.