The 13th biennial Conference of the Association of Social Research Councils of the Asia-Pacific Region (AASSREC) was held in Seoul, South Korea, on October 18-22, 1999. The Association has existed since 1973. Its activities involve scientists from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North and South Korea.

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South Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Vietnam. The aim of the Association is to hold international conferences on the most pressing problems of social sciences that are of interest to a wide range of scientists from different countries of Asia and the Pacific, exchange information, and implement joint projects in the field of social research. The Association also promotes contacts and mutual exchanges of scholarships between scientists in the region. The Association operates under the auspices of UNESCO, its Asia-Pacific branch with its headquarters in Bangkok.

Three main topics were discussed at the conference: sustainable development: its past and future; Asian values in the context of globalization; poverty and the environment in the Asia-Pacific region.

A regional symposium was devoted to the main issue - sustainable development. 13 speakers from different countries of the Asia-Pacific region reported on the implementation of the decisions of the World Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and the World Conference on Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995.

In his opening speech, the President of the Association, South Korean scientist Ahn Byung-yong, stressed that the concept of sustainable development has three interrelated aspects - economic, social and environmental, but in practice only economic dominates. A balanced approach to these aspects of development is primarily hindered by globalization in its current neoliberal form. Such globalization leads to the forced opening of national markets, unjustified liberalization, privatization and deregulation in the economies of the Asia-Pacific countries. This is what proponents of neoliberal globalization declare to be the main means of achieving economic prosperity. In fact, such globalization benefits only a few states, primarily the United States. Of course, there are also positive aspects of globalization - the spread of new technologies, the development of trade, the growth of capital investment, etc. However, the main negative feature of modern globalization processes is the predominance of the desire for economic benefits and the neglect of such aspects and values in human life as social equality, overcoming the income gap, eliminating unemployment, social insecurity, and preserving the environment. Globalization undermines democratization, as national sovereignty is violated by the dictates of international organizations such as the IMF, the World Bank, and transnational monopolies. Therefore, according to the South Korean professor, each country should not blindly follow the development models imposed by a group of developed industrial states, but develop its own models taking into account national value systems, historical heritage and the current situation in the country.

Speakers from a number of Asia-Pacific countries discussed the challenges and challenges of sustainable development in their countries. Chinese scientist Ren Yishen pointed out "three old burdens" - a large population, a food problem and natural disasters, and "three new challenges" - environmental pollution, environmental degradation, and unemployment. He stressed that in order to ensure sustainable development, the Chinese government places special emphasis on the transition from an intensive to an extensive economy, balanced development of regions and changing consumption patterns. Japanese researcher Watanuki noted that in his country, the main focus should be on reducing the release of toxic substances into the environment-dioxins,as well as further developing the protection system for the poor. In the report on sustainable development of the Republic of Korea, Ahn Byung-young and Kwon Tai-jong stressed the need to prioritize not the economic efficiency of development, but the satisfaction of historically formed intangible interests and requests of the people. The representative of Bangladesh, Mir M. Rosonazzam, noted the urgency of raising the living standards of the country's population and improving their living conditions. Indian scholar Keshav Dev Gaur drew attention to the importance of political changes that can contribute to the development and well-being of the broad masses of the people, and not just the well-off strata of Indian society. The representative of Sri Lanka, I. R. Amarasinghe, emphasized the need to ensure greater political rights for national minorities. L. M. Efimova (Russia) noted the difficulties in Russia's transition to sustainable development associated with the deep economic and socio-political crisis that the country is experiencing during the transition period. J. Virasai (Thailand) stressed the significant role of the State of Sri Lanka in the development of the country.

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the Royal program for sustainable development. Indonesian scholar K. M. Firdausi highlighted the negative impact of the 1997 financial crisis on solving sustainable development problems and expressed support for small and medium-sized businesses. N. Imperial (Philippines) stressed the importance of interaction between civil society, business and public administration in developing and implementing the concept of sustainable development. The representative of Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Mi, called for closer cooperation among ASEAN countries in addressing the challenges of sustainable development in the region. Sociologists from Australia and New Zealand. Gale and J. R. R. Tolkien Davies noted the importance of social research for identifying sustainable development paths.

In general, all the reports somehow contained pessimistic conclusions regarding the implementation of the tasks of poverty eradication, employment expansion, social integration and ensuring social, economic and environmental sustainability. Speakers noted that economic growth remains the main criterion for progress at the national level. Other criteria are not given due attention. The belief remains that material prosperity is synonymous with a prosperous life. Economic priorities make it difficult to ensure sustainable social and environmental development. This applies to all countries without exception - both those that are currently experiencing a crisis (financial, economic, socio-political), and those that have already passed this stage. Such policies are also linked to increasing globalization, which forces countries to compete fiercely to win markets and attract investment. The question arises: is the neoliberal market approach to public policy incompatible (as many people think) with ensuring sustainable development?

The main conclusion of the symposium is to recognize the need to integrate economic, social and environmental goals and priorities to ensure truly sustainable development, their close interrelationship and interdependence in the real world. Without such awareness, the survival of the planet and humanity is called into question.

A special session was devoted to discussing the problem of Asian values in the context of globalization. Filipino researcher Elena L. Samonte noted that there are two points of view in the scientific literature on this issue: the first is to deny specific "Asian" values and emphasize differences between the value systems of different Asian peoples; the second recognizes common Asian values that differ from European ones and are reduced to special diligence, discipline, family, clan, etc. Considering the value systems promoted as purely national in certain countries of South-East Asia, she noted their preservation even in the context of modern globalization, but pointed out the adaptation of these values to the changing environment. The official circles of the Southeast Asian countries strive to preserve Asian values unchanged through propaganda. The scientist, on the contrary, sees the need for conscious preparation of the peoples of Southeast Asia for the inevitable modification of national values in the context of modernization and globalization.

Australian cultural critic J. R. R. Tolkien Smolich is of the opinion that there are no specific "Asian" values and notes the diversity of cultural and religious traditions both in the East and in the West. He is also a proponent of adapting all values to the current changing environment and believes that the processes of globalization will lead not to the unification of values, but to the preservation of cultural pluralism, the diversity of complementary cultures and civilizations that preserve their differences. The representative of South Korea, Lim Seok Chun, refers to the separation of religion from politics and the separation of the economy from the state as specific modern European features that are absent in the East. Agreeing with the view that Asian values are being transformed in the process of modernization, he expressed confidence that the basic moral principles of Confucianism - a sense of duty and filial piety, at least in Korea-cannot be supplanted by Western principles of individualism and cold rationalism. L. M. Efimova proposed as a model of inter-civilizational interaction the concept of a new Eurasianism developed in Russia, synthesizing the features of both Asian and European cultures, without linking them to religious systems.

Five reports were read out at a workshop on poverty and its relation to the environment. Researchers from Australia, Bangladesh, India, China, and South Korea have noted a strong link between poverty and environmental degradation, resulting in

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this creates a vicious circle, and called on prosperous countries to help solve these problems, which would help improve the ecology of the entire planet.

In general, the conference demonstrated that scientists from different countries strive to solve similar problems and the exchange of views between them is necessary and fruitful. Social sciences, which study human behavior, value systems, the distribution and use of power, and State and non-State institutions, have a special role to play here. An interdisciplinary approach is extremely important, as well as close interaction of scientists with the authorities and public pressure groups. Only joint efforts can solve the problems of sustainable development both at the national and international levels.

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