On 1 March 2023, the Department of European Affairs and the Department of International Relations and Global Affairs, Mahidol University International College (MUIC), organised “ASEM Day 2023” at MUIC. The event began with remarks by MUIC Dean, welcoming all participants which numbered more than 100.

During the opening session, Mr. Asi Mamanee, Director-General of the Department of European Affairs and the ASEM Senior Official (SOM) for Thailand, highlighted the purpose of the ASEM Day event, which is to commemorate the founding of ASEM, when the 1st ASEM Summit was held in Bangkok in 1996. He also shared his experiences as ASEM SOM, especially on negotiations in the ASEM framework, with a view to sparking the students’ interest in ASEM, Thai-Europe relations, and the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a whole.

Representatives from the Department of European Affairs briefed MUIC’s students on the history of ASEM, the latest developments, and negotiation within the ASEM process. The briefing was followed by a simulation of an ASEM Senior Officials’ Meeting to negotiate the outcome document of an ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Sixteen teams of students (5 students per team) represented 16 ASEM members and took part in the simulation. The students showed great interest and motivation, and managed to convey the positions of their countries to the meeting successfully. Three students with outstanding performance received prizes and a certificate from the Department of European Affairs and MUIC. These outcomes demonstrate that the event managed to help raise ASEM awareness while supporting the educational sector and empowering the youth.

ASEM Day is celebrated on 1 March every year to commemorate the founding of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on 1 March 1996, when the 1st ASEM Summit was held in Bangkok. To this day, ASEM remains the only dialogue forum specifically dedicated to Asia and Europe, and where their Leaders gather on a regular basis.