ICIRD 2012 ‘Toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC): Prospects, Challenges and Paradoxes in Development, Governance and Human Security’
RCSD
Dear colleagues,
The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University in collaboration with the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University, the Master of Arts in Development Studies (MAIDS) Program at Chulalongkorn University, the Center of Human Rights and Social Development (CHRSD) at Mahidol University is pleased to inform of the 2nd International Conference on International Relations and Development (ICIRD) 2012 under the theme “Toward an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC): Prospects, Challenges and Paradoxes in Development, Governance and Human Security” to be take place on 26-27 July 2012 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will commence in 2015 as underpinned by the three pillars, namely the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), ASEAN Security Community (ASC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), and will target economic growth and free trade in the region. Supporters of this single market and single production base idea have been active within the concerned state agencies, especially the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, and their equivalents. However, there have been voices of concern and criticism raised regarding disparities, uneven development, the impacts of large-scale infrastructure development on sustainable livelihoods, and the enclosure of local resources by scholarly activists, non-state actors, NGOs, local and transnational civil societies. In terms of international governance, the roles of state and non-state actors have been questioned on issues of democratization, privatization, participation, people-centered governance and transnational mobility and regulations, and on the human rights front, concerns have also been raised regarding the rights of non-citizens, identity crises, health, food safety, sovereignty, the feminization of labor and non-traditional security. It is clear these uncertainties and unresolved issues need to be addressed before the AEC becomes institutionalized.
This conference will bring together various concerned groups, multi-disciplinary scholars and graduate researchers, as well as activists, state and non-state actors, NGOs, development workers, regional institutions and fellow citizens and non-citizens, in order to discuss the prospects and challenges for plans to move towards an AEC, as well as some of the contradictory ideas being proposed. The outcomes of the conference will help foster a wider and deeper understanding of the AEC, help inform the public, and prepare people for the changes ahead in terms of coping with any unforeseen consequences.
Attached please find the first announcement for your information. Those who would like to submit abstracts and panel proposals, please contact the conference organizer at rcsd...@cmu.ac.th, or rcsd...@gmail.com.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti
RCSD Director