The
vision of iafor grew out of the perceived need to fill a vacuum in the
communication and exchange activities of the academic world. Its mission
arose out of examining that space and investigating why it existed. The
vacuum existed because of the lack of opportunity for serious and
thoughtful exchange between academics, members of the global business
community, and practitioners in the fields of human endeavor that linked
these groups together. In the field of education, for example, we have
academic theorists, educational mangers (political decision-makers and
organizational directors) and classroom teachers with their support
staff in IT, library work, exchange programs, and specialist fields. But
how often do they have the opportunity to interact?
Moving
beyond one particular field, larger questions arise. What function
should universities prioritize in the 21st century? What do businesses
see as their contribution to social and global well being? How can people
on the ground, trying to implement improvements that will transform
human life, best be supported? And perhaps above all, what are the
agendas that will drive mechanisms to enable these groups to interact
effectively.
One
piece of distilled thought that came from early exchanges at an iafor
conference was the recognition that some of the rhetoric of concern
about the problems of developing nations was perhaps over-focused on the
term "poverty" because it can be defined only in a relative way. "Hunger" was put forward as being more immediate and itself a
contributory factor to poverty, rather than the other way round. One key
to the hunger issue could be the provision of safe drinking water, or
water for irrigation in some contexts, while flood management might be
necessary elsewhere. These, in and by themselves become valuable only
insofar as they help to relieve hunger in specific contexts.
iafor
is affording opportunities that do not exist elsewhere. The base is
Osaka, Japan's great commercial and manufacturing hub, one symbol of
the emerging Pacific economy that in time will eclipse the long dominant
Atlantic zone. iafor conferences present those taking part with three
unique dimensions of experience. First of all, it encourages
interdisciplinary activity to be expanded. Depending on the field, this
can face varying degrees of difficulty, ranging from discouragement to
downright prohibition. Those overly dependent on fixed academic
structures often see lateral thinking as a threat. None of these
negatives apply in iafor. Its purpose is to generate new approaches that
cross any disciplinary lines. The principle employed is to let the
imagination permit intuitive responses to questions. There are no panels
of critics. There are simply people who want to listen and reflect. The
model of academic work as potholing is replaced by the metaphor of
mountaineering. While respecting the need for solid and well-founded
academic work, we feel the need to go beyond it from time to time to
discover fresh approaches to old questions.
Secondly,
it facilitates the heightening of intercultural awareness. Again, iafor
encourages innovation through cross-cultural perception. Cultural roots
influence people in their attitudes more than most would realize or
admit. The need to see and internalize insights gained from other
viewpoints is met by a process of steady illumination.
Thirdly,
it promotes the broadening of international exchange. We may live in a
globalized world, but in reality parochialism still holds sway. The
collapse of the U.S.S.R and the break-up of Yugoslavia led to the
re-establishment of numerous former countries. While this may be
desirable for the peoples concerned, it merely adds to the world's
cultural confusion. Exchange leads to explanation and that helps the
growth of intercultural awareness.
iafor
makes all of these developments possible in one gathering. An iafor
conference is not a substitute for specialist conferences. It is
intended to be an alternative that functions as a balance or even a
corrective to the extreme tendencies that can arise from more narrowly
defined research parameters. In short, iafor is promoting and
facilitating a new multifaceted approach to one of the core issues of
our time, namely globalization and its many forms of growth and
expansion. Awareness of how it cuts across the worlds of business, and
academia, along with its impact on societies and institutions is one of
the driving forces that has given iafor its momentum and is making it a
pioneer in this global age.
As
the Asia-Pacific region emerges as a new and powerful center of world
events to rival the traditional European-American hegemonic axis,
different and conflicting nationalistic fears and domestic political
interests often dictate negative foreign policies. The stakes for
ensuring cooperation between the Asian states and the Western world has
never been higher.
Founded
in 2009 by a group of concerned Asian, European and North American
academics and business professionals, IAFOR is a mission driven
organization dedicated to providing and promoting meaningful dialogue
irrespective of international borders.
IAFOR
is committed to ensuring that Asian leaders and opinion formers in both
the public and private sectors, in education, the media, and business,
have the chance to meet their colleagues from other continents, and
discuss issues of national and international relevance and importance.
Identifying Problems | Identifying Solutions IAFOR's advisers have identified the following issues of being of immediate concern:
1)
Education at all levels in Asia as global standards are attempted to be
met in the face of economic realities and different, and frequently
conflicting ideologies and doctrines. We support the idea of
universities without borders as outlined in the UNESCO Higher Education
initiatives.
2)
Economic Development. Globalization is often seen in a negative light,
as the domination by force of rich industrialized nations represented by
corporations, and indeed it can be. IAFOR seeks to ensure that local
voices are heard and that businesses act responsibly in their practices
dealing with poorer South-East Asian countries. Governments, business
people, and academics must engage in responsible dialogue so the
benefits of the application of positive Global standards are apparent in
all sectors.
3)
Energy and the need to control it has already placed a strain on the
relations of the Asia-Pacific region's most crucial players, China and
Japan, arguably the world's most important bilateral relations as the
Asian theater of influence grows. How these two cultural and economic
giants overcome mutual feelings of distrust is a discourse that must be
maintained as among the most crucial, with ramifications spreading
throughout the Pacific Rim and beyond.
Strategies
IAFOR
will encourage and support the foundation and institutions of fora,
through conventions, conferences, summits as well as more informal
meetings, to forge partnerships across disciplines, departments, and
private and public institutions.
How we work:
1)
IAFOR has instituted a network of global leaders and opinion formers
who are experts in a given area to act as IAFOR advisers.
2)
Our advisers prepare short reports on a given topic, issue or region,
given their area of expertise. IAFOR asks that this report highlight
three key areas of particular and direct concern.
3)
IAFOR will then consult with other concerned advisers so as to decide
on the appropriate timescale, venue and environment for these issues to
be raised.
4)
IAFOR works with the adviser and other concerned organizations to
ensure the attendance at the event of those in a position to influence
policy.
5) IAFOR ensures that the information relating to these
events is made available to those unable to attend the conferences and
seminars in the form of freely accessible web-based publications.
Core Activities
1.
Organizing international conferences in Asia to be interest to
academics, business persons, government officials, and other concerned
global leaders and opinion formers.
2.
Supporting original research, and providing appropriate platforms for
its dissemination. IAFOR will archive all research produced in
association with its conferences and seminars and make it publicly and
available on the IAFOR website.
3.
Building alliances with an international network of leading Asian and
global institutions, organizations and corporations to influence policy
following the recommendations of IAFOR advisers.
