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The 2008 EFN Asia International Conference,18-19 September 2008 Unirule Institute of Economics
Li Seng Giap Auditorium, University of Asia and the Pacific, Manila In an attempt to continue facilitating debate on issues relating to economic freedom in Asia, the Economic Freedom Network Asia (EFN Asia) recently convened a very successful international conference on ‘Private Property Rights: The Economic Foundation of a Free Society’ on 18-19 September 2008. The conference was held at the University of Asia and the Pacific, Manila, in collaboration with Center for Research and Communication (CRC), Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), Philippine Economic Society (PES) and School of Economics, University of Asia and the Pacific, and in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of EFN Asia. This year’s conference successfully created a discussion forum for participants from government, non-government, acadamic and private sectors to jointly exchange information and knowledge on the role of property rights in the region. The conference brought together more than 200 participants, representing scholars, students, policy makers, practitioners and influential think tanks of the region and beyond from over 15 countries. The tone of the conference was set by the presentation of Dr. Wolf-Dieter Zumpfort – Vice President of Executive Board of Friedrich Naumann Foundation – exploring ‘the importance of property rights’. His presentation bore out the fact that freedom is rooted in ownership and private property enhances individual freedom by giving ownership and control of property to people. The two-day conference featured keynote addresses from internationally renowned experts in the area of property rights and a couple of themed panel discussions on the meaning of property rights in various perspectives and the acquisition of property rights by the state. Keynote speakers included Professor James Riddell, Mr. Ali Salman, Dr. Arturo Corpuz, Dr. Mark Mullins, Dr. Chung-ho Kim, Mr. Gamaliel Pascual, Mr. Krishna Neupane. Panellists included Atty. Erwin Tiamson, Dr. Parth J. Shah, Mr. Barun Mitra, Mr. Renato Herrera, Dr. Rolando Dy, and Dr. Arsenio Balisacan. The five formal presentation and panel discussion sessions were moderated by Mr. Alec van Gelder, Professor Bibek Debroy, Dr. Rolando Dy, Mr. Rainer Heufers and Dr. Parth J. Shah, respectively. Before the conclusion of the conference, Mr. Rainer Heufers and Mr. Muhamad Husni Thamrin conducted an inspiring video presentation and workshop on creating effective campaign tools. The two videos showed the life of street venders in Indonesia. It was noted that the conference was informative and engaging. The conference helped provide participants not only with a great opportunity to communicate with many experts in the area, but also with networking opportunities. This conference is annual event of the Network, which has since 1998 represented a successful and unique platform for exchanging information and experiences and disseminated ideas about economic freedom to a broader audience. For more information, please visit: www.efnasia.org Contact: Links: Center for Research and Communication <link: www.crc.org.ph>; Foundation for Economic Freedom (link: n/a); Friedrich Naumann Foundation<link: www.fnfasia.org>; Philippine Economic Society <link: www.phileconsociety.org>; School of Economics, University of Asia and the Pacific <link: www.uap.edu.ph>
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