abstract:Consensus conferences originated in Denmark in the 1980s and are one of the earliest attempts by policymakers to include the lay publics’ opinions in their decision-making through public engagement. The purpose of consensus conferences is “to qualify people’s attitudes, inasmuch as they are given all the information they require until they are ready to assess a given technology.
Thoughthe conferences did notreach a common consensus to the issue of Northeast China, they did exertan importantinfluenceoninternationalpublic opinion.
Through three decades of summits, conferences, common initiatives and consensus-building, the organization has reduced tensions among Southeast Asian nations and elevated the nine as a group to an enviable position of influence in the continent, if not the world.