CALD Gears Up for 20th Anniversary Events

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) shifts to high gear as it prepares for its 20th anniversary celebrations in Manila, Philippines on 8-11 November.  The four-day event aims to assemble more than a hundred international and local participants to discuss how global, regional and national developments impact on inter-regional cooperation, the state of freedom and political party reform.

The anniversary events will commence on Friday, 8 November with a half-day CALD Youth Seminar “Party Reform and Renewal: Youth’s Role in Re-establishing Public Faith in Political Parties”.  The seminar will take place in one of the oldest universities in Asia, the University of Santo Tomas (founded in 1611).  Subsequently, the CALD Executive Meeting will take place from 16:00 to 19:00 in Sampaguita A of the Manila Hotel founded 1912), one of the region’s foremost heritage hotels.  The day will be capped by the ALDE-CALD Partnership Dinner, hosted by the ALDE Group, in the vicinity of SM Mall of Asia, one of Asia’s biggest malls overlooking the scenic Manila bay.

On Saturday, 9 November, the 6^th CALD-ALDE Meeting at the Manila Hotel will discuss how Asia’s political-security environment, economic clout and regional integration impact on strategic relations between Asia and Europe. Invited to speak at the Meeting are a number of  high-level delegates from both the Asian and European continents.  In the evening, the delegates will be treated to a night of history and cultural performances on the occasion of CALD’s 20^th Anniversary Gala Dinner.

The anniversary celebration will continue on Monday, 11 November, with the holding of CALD’s 20^th Anniversary Conference “Towards Party Reform and Renewal: Bringing Political Parties Back to the People”.  CALD has chosen this topic of party reform and renewal for its anniversary conference in the hope of reconnecting political parties with the general public in an age marked by widespread political disillusionment.

Placed between the two CALD events is the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s (FNF) Freedom Day on the 10^th of November, Sunday. The day will focus on national campaign-project It’s All About Freedom.  In the morning, thousands of runners will convene at the Quezon City Memorial Circle to join the biggest fun run again corruption (http://www.fnf.org.ph/freedomrun/). The evening will be highlighted by the Foundation’s annual Freedom Speech and Freedom Awards, with Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV delivering the highly anticipated Freedom Speech.

With these line-up of activities, the Manila event promises to be one of CALD’s grandest and most memorable occasions in its 20-year history.