A three-day international forum on regional and global issues including security, culture and regional development will begin on Jejudo Island on Wednesday, organizers said.

Under the theme “Designing New Asia,” the ninth Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity is expected to bring together some 3,700 experts, government officials and politicians from more than 55 countries for in-depth discussions on the issues.

Among the participants are former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, former Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Caly Fiorina and Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.

This year’s forum seeks to solicit wisdom from the participants on how to free Asia from territorial and historical conflicts that have long hampered the multilateral cooperation needed to sustain the region’s stability and economic vitality.

Jointly hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the International Peace Foundation, the East Asia Foundation and the JoongAng Ilbo, the annual forum consists of some 60 sessions on an array of issues including the future role of women, regional security cooperation, education, the environment and public diplomacy.

In one of the notable sessions ― on the past, present and future of Korea’s diplomacy ― former foreign ministers and scholars will discuss Korea’s middle-power diplomatic strategies and responsibilities.

The forum was launched in 2001 with the aim of reaching the status of the Davos Forum, an annual gathering of global political and business elites to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world. It had been held biennially until 2011.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)