“Bridges” in the Philippines and Thailand starting in November 2007

	Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala		Washington SyCip

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of the Ayala Corporation and Philippine Chairman of “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace”

Washington SyCip, Founding Chairman of the SGV Group and of the Asian Institute of Management and Philippine Honorary Chairman of “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace”

We are pleased to invite you to the Philippine-Thai event series "Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace" which the International Peace Foundation, a non-political independent foundation under the common patronage of 21 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates based in Vienna, will host in cooperation with various local partners. Starting in November 2007 “Bridges” will be continuously held in the Philippines and Thailand until April 2008 involving the participation of Nobel Laureates for Peace, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Economics.

The Philippine-Thai series of "Bridges", an independent contribution to “The Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence” initiated and promoted by the United Nations' General Assembly, follow the "Bridges" series which the International Peace Foundation has already hosted in Thailand only between November 2003 and April 2005.

The pluralistic program of "Bridges" has highlighted the International Peace Foundation's intercultural and transdisciplinary approach towards peace. The foundation doesn't take sides, but acts as a mediator by creating an independent platform for dialogue where representatives of science, politics, economy, culture, religion, the media and youth can meet, share their viewpoints, listen to each other and find mutual ways of understanding and cooperation.

Therefore the foundation itself is a bridge and a facilitator between different language groups in our divided societies, where politicians speak another language than artists and business and religious leaders another one than scientists. In a highly interdependent world problems cannot be solved by either one of these language groups only, but by finding ways of working together.

After the success of its “Bridges” program in Thailand the International Peace Foundation has been invited by other ASEAN countries to build further bridges towards peace and international understanding by expanding its program beyond Thailand to stimulate the intellectual, scientific and cultural exchange in the region.

The next “Bridges” series will therefore continuously take place in the Philippines and Thailand from November 2007 to April 2008, comprising events with Nobel Laureates from all fields. The Nobel Laureates will visit the region not all at once, but separately to conduct public lectures, seminars, workshops and dialogues hosted by local institutions during a continued period of six months.

The topics of the ongoing events will deal with the overall theme of “building a culture of peace and development in a globalized world” and with a wide range of issues in the fields of politics, economy, science, culture and the media. They will especially highlight the challenges of both globalization and regionalism and its impact on development and international cooperation.

The aim of “Bridges” is to facilitate and strengthen dialogue and communication between societies in Southeast Asia with their multiple cultures and faiths as well as with peoples in other parts of the world to promote understanding and trust. The events aim at building bridges through Nobel Laureates with local universities and other institutions in Southeast Asia to establish long-term relationships which may result in common research programs and other forms of collaboration. By enhancing science, technology and education as a basis for peace and development the events may lead to a better cooperation for the advancement of peace, freedom and security in the region with the active involvement of the young generation, ASEAN’s key to the future.

This is why “Bridges” is not designed as a onetime event, but as a continuing process of synergies to make the series of events a sustainable success for the Philippines, for Thailand and for Southeast Asia as a whole. We would be delighted if you would take part in this program and if we could welcome you at the events which may help us to facilitate a new culture of peace – far beyond the absence of war.

Visit of HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein to Manila in March 2007 in preparation of the Philippine “Bridges” events

	HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the International Peace Foundation, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo		HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Uwe Morawetz with former President Fidel V. Ramos		HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Uwe Morawetz with the Presidents of the Philippine partner universities of “Bridges”
	HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Uwe Morawetz with the Filipino rockband Rivermaya