In the nearly five decades since the East-West Center's founding, the Asia Pacific region has seen dramatic economic, political and social changes that have transformed its character, lobal influence, and future challenges. The Asian share of the world's annual production of goods and services has more than doubled, becoming equal to or exceeding the US share, depending upon the type of measure. China alone has become the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide, and Asia's thirst for resources of all kinds has a huge impact on global commodity markets.

Because of the region's rapid growth, the East-West Center's efforts to develop common understanding of the resulting impacts and new challenges, and to promote consensus on how to deal with them, are more important than ever.