The Foundation of the Asian Association for Social Welfare （A.A.S.W）& The Inaugural Conference of Asian Association for Social Welfare
How are the state and the orientation of the social welfare doing in Asia? It is a question Prof. Christian Aspalter suggested when initiating the Asian Association of Social Welfare (A.A.S.W.). The Inaugural Conference of this Asian Association was held in the International Centre from April 27 to April 30, 2006. Its theme was “The State of Social Welfare in Asia”.
During this Inaugural Conference, firstly, Prof. Edmund S.T. Kwok gave a welcoming address and then Prof. Christian Aspalter gave the official opening address. Prof. Aspalter said that the signs for social welfare and continuing peace are not at all good. Hence, the A.A.S.W. is attempting to form itself as a Pan-Asian association devoted to the non-political promotion of social welfare in all of Asia, a matter that calls for coordination, cross-cultural understanding and research, as well as international campaigning and consultancy work. The conference’s aim was twofold: one, to increase exchange and mutual understanding of social welfare topics, and the examination of the current state of affairs in social welfare policy across all of Asia, secondly, to improve the state of well-being across the diverse lands and territories of the Asian continent and promote the development of social welfare in Asia.
The distinguished guests came from far places like Russia, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Italy, but also from places in the greater East Asian region like Japan and Korea. The professors gave speeches on social movement, social problems and social policy. They exchanged their ideas and their experience in the study of social welfare.
This Inaugural Conference is of high importance to the future of social welfare, cross-cultural understanding – and hence peace – in Asia. The AASW aims to become an UN-recognized NGO in the not-so-distant future, some day soon.
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A.A.S.W.(Prof.Kwok's speech)
