Made possible by a generous grant from the Swedish Green Forum, the Workshop was designed as a precursor to the Global Greens Conference in April 2001, and to fill the gap in organised networking in the Asia Pacific Region, which unlike Europe, Africa and the Americas at that time, did not yet have a Federation or Network of Green Parties.

Thirty people representing 12 Green parties and green political movements in Asia and the Pacific came to the Workshop, along with representatives from the Swedish Green Forum and the German Heinrich Boll Foundation (who also supported some of the delegates). The groups and individuals were identified after extensive consultation with Green parties round the world, community organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Community Aid Abroad and Amnesty, and with individuals.

The Workshop was an unqualified success, primarily in establishing warm personal relationships amongst the participants, and in affirming their common ideals for environmental protection, social justice, democracy, nonviolence and the elimination of poverty.

An important outcome was to distinguish ‘green political movements’ (community groups or movements with an explicit goal of involvement in electoral or parliamentary politics) from issue-oriented non-government organization, by recognizing the important role such movements play in countries where democratic participation is dangerous or restricted, and as a stepping stone to formation of a party.

Much discussion time was also spent outlining each country’s circumstances, while workshops on Green politics and Asian/Indigenous cultural values, global warming, and organisation and funding opened up broader issues. Having four close neighbours of mainland China present (Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Mongolia) highlighted mainland China’s territorial threats and growing economic power as central issues for the region. The recent Asian financial crisis also underlined the common need to campaign globally and the potential power of such a political movement to confront the extremes of economic globalism.

Workshop Attendees approved the following resolutions:

“1. That we form an Asia Pacific Greens Network, comprising: 1) Green parties and 2) Green political movements. And strive to broaden its membership throughout the region.”