EU, ASEAN to hold conference on sustainable peace

JAKARTA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday will organize an international conference on sustainable peace in Indonesia's Bali, a press statement from the Delegation of the European Union said here on Monday.

"It will provide a forum to take stock of the role of regional organizations as peace vectors the bringing to bear of political and financial resources to counter conflict and entrench stability and furnish inspiration for ASEAN's endeavors in establishing the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation," the statement said.

The conference takes place in the framework of ASEAN's Preparatory Meetings for the ASEAN Summit in November.

The event will be organized in cooperation with the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) with support from Belgium, Finland and Ireland.

ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) leaders, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN as well as representatives from relevant national lead agencies of ASEAN Member States dealing with mediation and crisis management will be participating.

"I am delighted that this conference will intensify cooperation in a field that is critical to regional and global stability. We need to share what works and what doesn't work in conflict prevention and ensure that both ASEAN and the EU are well-placed to contribute in this field as effectively as possible," said Head of Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN, Julian Wilson.