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Current affairs forms an important component of several competitive exams such as the UPSC Civil Services Examination, SSC CGL, Bank PO & PSU entrance tests, etc. Therefore, understanding terms/concepts/events that are in the news is critical for aspirants. We at PaGaLGuY bring you this series of articles in which we shall explain some of these important concepts/events for you.

In this article, we take a look at Asian African Conference 2015. Leaders from major Asian and African countries converged in Jakarta for the Asian African Conference 2015 to mark the 60th anniversary of the ‘Bandung conference’ that took place in 1955. 

The Bandung conference was the first big gathering of dignitaries of Afro-Asian countries, most of which were newly independent. Most of the countries that participated in this conference were under harsh colonial rule before World War II. This conference was thus an important step towards the ‘Non-Alignment Movement’. It aimed to promote Afro-Asian economic and cultural cooperation and oppose colonialism or neocolonialism.

      The primary goal of the Asian African Conference 2015 was to renounce the ‘obsolete ideas’ of the Bretton Woods system. The IMF and World Bank were at the centre of the post-World War II monetary order. It also aimed at reorganising the New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). NAASP aspires to take necessary actions on the eight areas of cooperation, namely counterterrorism, combating transnational organised crimes, food security, energy security, small and medium enterprises, tourism, the Asian-African Development University Network, gender equality and women empowerment.

The conference held discussions on climate change, infrastructure development, democracy and good governance, and peacekeeping center cooperation. (Particularly since more than 87% of UN peacekeeping personnel come from Afro-Asian countries.) 

Another important aspect of conference was convening the ‘Asia-Africa Business Summit’ to strengthen economic ties between these countries. To sustain cooperation for aimed goals, Indonesia also decided to establish an Asian-African Centre in its land that would serve as the institutional support base of the NAASP.

     China has offered to train 1, 00,000 people in developing countries in Asia and Africa over the next five years. It has deployed a $40 billion Silk Road fund and has played a leading role in forming the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance to infrastructure projects in Asia.

       India has also re-engaged with developing countries in Asia and Africa. India had launched the “Act East” policy towards Asia, and the “renewed Africa policy for Africa. India was also collectively engaging Africa under its flagship India-Africa Forum Summit.