ASEF is an intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation which brings together the peoples of Asia and Europe to address common global challenges by:

advancing mutual understanding and collaboration between the people of Asia and Europe through opportunities that enable an exchange of ideas;
acting as the civil society outreach of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and works as a platform for Asia-Europe dialogue to stimulate permanent networks that reinforce Asia-Europe bi-regional relations;
acting as an interface between civil society and ASEM governments and consequently, contributes to the ASEM process by generating unique recommendations for officials’ consideration