Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit inaugurated 2009's Asia-Pacific Weeks on Wednesday. "The main topics of the Asia-Pacific Weeks this year are concerned with future challenges that are particularly relevant in the world’s megacities – energy and mobility," he said.

"We live in an urban age. More and more, the world's population is concentrating in megacities. Their development challenges us to organise mobility and energy supply in such a way that quality of life in urban areas is improved.”

These discussions come at a time when both Asia and Europe are feeling the grip of the economic crisis, and when global efforts to agree on a new deal to fight climate change are gaining momentum. In this particular context, energy and mobility appear even more relevant.

Fauzi Bowo, the governor of Indonesia's capital Jakarta, Berlin’s partner city, also spoke at the opening ceremony. “Given Jakarta’s geographical conditions as a low-lying region, our city is very vulnerable to climate change," he said.

"The expenditure required for adaptation doesn’t leave much money for climate change mitigation. That is why we have to be innovative to tackle all these issues.”

In a rapidly-growing megacity like Jakarta, transportation is the main cause of CO2 emissions.

"In 2008, the number of cars and motorbikes in Germany grew by 0.6 percent only and in Berlin the number of cars even decreased by 0.2 percent," Bowo explained. "But in Jakarta, motorised traffic has grown in the last five consecutive years on average every year by 9.1 percent.”

Every single day more than 200 new cars and over 800 new motorcycles hit the streets of Jakarta.

In Berlin, delegates will be looking for innovative transport solutions for Asia’s megacities.

For Rainer Seider, the coordinator of the Asia-Pacific Weeks, it is the chance to establish long-term cooperation that matters most: “I think the Asia-Pacific Weeks are very important for the Asia-Pacific network in Berlin and Germany."

"Every second year we meet in Berlin to discuss trends and cooperation between Asia and Europe. This is the event where you can see Asia in Berlin, where you can discuss Asia in Berlin, where you have real cooperation – in the cultural field, in the economic field."

"In the cultural field," he said. "We don’t just have a production made in Asia, but it’s always a cooperation with an institution here in Berlin. I think this is the interesting aspect of the Asia-Pacific Weeks: It’s always a cooperation and it’s a long-lasting, sustainable product.”

The events planned during the Asia-Pacific weeks range from business conferences and workshops to dance performances, concerts and exhibitions.

Author: Thomas Bärthlein
Editor: Anne Thomas