Tentative Programme
3rd AUN Rectors’ Meeting AUN’s Collective Positioning in the World of Higher Education
Rationale:
The World, as we know it, is undergoing a transitional period. It becomes quite clear that the precipitated decline of the United States is inevitable and imminent. Meanwhile, the dismantled socialist blocs as well as the multiple developmental states in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have embraced globalization and its requisite reforms. Physical boundaries between these countries have become so blurred that it allows freer flows of people and goods. Multilateralism has evolved to the extent that partnerships among several actors within and between countries are institutionalized, resulting in the new form of relationship among non-state actors (i.e. international organisations, international media, NonGovernmental Organisations and so on). The constant change in Global Landscape, derived from several factors mentioned early on, is the advent of multi-polarity of small and medium powers among the developed and developing World. With this transformation of global landscape taking place, it brings about many great challenges for nation-states in the international arena. The regionalization and the emerging regional collaboration between small and medium powers bridge nation-states and bring about the interconnectedness among each other. The multi-faceted aspects of the World Politics, that is, the political, security, economic, and sociocultural have turned into matured communities. The interaction amidst the countries is no longer a form of one country representing its interest; rather, it is in a form of collective decision. Assuming the role of a policy strategist in higher education, the AUN is obliged to help consolidate AUN’s Collective Positions in order to constructively engage with our dialogue partners; namely China, Japan, Korea, EU, US, Canada, ASEAN+3, ASEAN+6 and our future potential partners, i.e. Australia, Canada, and Gulf States. The deliverable of this conference is the congeal sets of AUN’s positions to represent our standpoints during the ASEAN+3 Rector’s Conference which will be tentatively held in November 2011.