The theme of this year’s ASEF LinkUp
This year’s event will be held under the title “Sustainability, Ethics and Equity in International Cultural Relations”. Participants will jointly explore possibilities for more reciprocal, equitable and co-created forms of international cultural cooperation, and reflect on the conditions under which such cooperation can take place in an increasingly complex socio-political and cultural environment.
Particular attention will be paid to the challenges of realising more sustainable and ethical cultural relations, collaboration between cultural practitioners and policy-makers, and the role of smaller countries in international cultural cooperation. Since the programme’s launch in 2023, more than 54 artists, cultural practitioners, diplomats, policymakers and researchers from 22 countries have already taken part in ASEF LinkUp.
Participants in the meeting
The programme began with a co-creation phase involving former ASEF LinkUp participants, who developed thematic starting points for this year’s edition between April and July 2026. An open call for representatives from the cultural and creative sectors was published on 30 July, with applications accepted until 27 August. Those selected were professionals with experience and a strong interest in international cultural exchanges. Representatives from government and other public institutions joined the programme on the basis of nominations.
The selected 18 participants will take part in five online preparatory meetings between October and November, followed by a five-day laboratory in Slovenia, which will include workshops, presentations and study visits. The programme will conclude with the publication of the ASEF LinkUp Fieldbook, which will be co-created by the participants and will present their key insights and recommendations for the further development of cultural relations between Asia and Europe.
