Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative
The Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative is a two-and-a-half year project between Asia and Europe, which tries to promote the knowledge and skills of young diplomats engaged in public diplomacy campaigns. The initiative was launched by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with DiploFoundation (Switzerland) and the National Centre for Research on Europe at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) in January 2013 with its conclusion set to be in January 2015. The aim of the project is to strengthen the understanding between Europe and Asia, focusing on training for the next generations of digitally-engaged diplomats. The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) was established in 1997 by Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) leaders, which was founded in 1996, by the leaders of twenty five European and Asian countries, together with the European Commission. ASEF is focusing on intellectual, cultural and people-to-people exchange to enhance relations between Asia and Europe. Since its formation, ASEF has implemented over 650 projects, engaging over 17,000 direct participants and connecting with even wider audiences in Asia and Europe. Training sessions are focused on practical skills, deepening knowledge of Europe and Asia, and also providing the opportunity to interact and build networks with counterparts from ASEM.