Introduction to the
17th ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies (AFES) Congress
Imam Subekti
The first AFES Congress was held in 1981, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, beneath the shadows of the great Asian temple in Borobudur. It was named “ASEAN Diabetes Update 81,” in which representatives from five ASEAN countries agreed that the AFES Congress will be held every two years. Fast forward, 32 years after the first congress, the 17th AFES Congress will involve not only seven ASEAN countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; but also some other countries outside the South East Asia Region.
The AFES in collaboration with the Indonesian Society of Endocrinology (Perkeni) will host the 17th AFES Congress on November 13-16, 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event will be held in conjunction with the 22nd Jakarta Diabetes Meeting (JDM). This year’s congress holds the “ Wayang of Kresna” as its unique logo. Wayang is a traditional puppet show which originated from Java, Indonesia. UNESCO, on November 7t, 2003, declared Wayang Kulit as Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, thus making it not only a traditional entertainment, but also national pride and international heritage. One of the characters who frequently appear in the Wayang Kulit show is Kresna, also called Krishna. He is very famous in any nation with Hinduism-based culture, especially in South-East Asia. He is well known for his wisdom and is the mentor of Pandava, the main character of Mahabharata. Kresna is also depicted as a great strategist, both in politics and war. Aside from his brilliant mind, he is also known for his strength and supernatural abilities.
Those are the reasons why our logo features Kresna. We wish sincerely that the medical societies of the future, especially AFES, will grow wiser and stronger both in researches and in medical services. We hope that the 17th Congress of AFES would be a stepping stone toward a better and brighter future. Bringing the theme of “Toward a Brighter Future of Endocrinology-Metabolic Care in ASEAN Region: From Bench to Clinical Practice,” the purpose of this congress is to share the latest scientific knowledge about endocrinology with colleagues amongst ASEAN countries and share experiences with the experts and the participants.
In order to cover the broad array of topics in endocrinology, there will be 27 parallel symposia, 6 keynote lectures and 6 parallel meet-the-experts sessions. There will also also 4 parallel pre-congress and 4 parallel post-congress workshops which will cover the interesting and practical topics in the field of endocrinology. This congress will not only cover two major topics in endocrinology, such as diabetes and thyroid, but will also address other interesting topics in endocrinology, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, pituitary disorders, adrenal disorders, reproductive disorders, growth disorders and other latest relevant topics in endocrinology.
Internationally recognized experts from the South East Asia Region as well as from Australia, Europe, USA and other parts of Asia will deliver an engaging session with all the delegates. Some of the internationally recognized experts from outside the ASEAN region who will present in this congress are Prof. William F. Young, Jr. (USA), Kenneth Strauss (USA), Prof. Bo Ahrén (Sweden), Prof. Allan Vaag (Denmark), Assoc. Prof. Filip Knop (Denmark), Prof. Bernard Charbonnel (France), Prof. Jean-Yves Reginster (Belgium), Prof. Fereidoun Azizi (Iran), Prof. Youngkee Shong (South Korea), Prof. Juliana Chan (Hong Kong), Allan Barclay (Australia), Prof. Duncan Topliss (Australia), Prof. Merlin Thomas (Australia) and Prof. S. Colagiuri (Australia).
In addition to the previously mentioned scientific sessions, there will also be more than 200 abstracts, in which clinicians and scientists from all over the world (such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam) will share their interesting and unique works in the field of endocrinology. Those abstracts will be presented in 9 sessions of parallel oral presentations, poster presentations and digital poster presentations.
The 5-star luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel Mega Kuningan, Jakarta, which is one of, if not, the best hotel in the capital city of our beautiful Indonesia, will welcome more than 1.300 delegates. The delegates are not only from South East Asia, but also some other countries, such as China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, Brunei Darussalam, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Ukraine and Czech Republic. As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, which is the home of approximately nine million inhabitants, is not only a cultural meeting place of the many islands within the archipelago, but also of the four corners of the world. As an international city equal to other international cities of the world, Jakarta is the gateway into the country's tourism destinations. We proudly offer the delegates various plans for our Social Program tour to various attractions in Jakarta and other area such as Bali and Yogyakarta.
In addition, we will also hold a Cultural Night, which will be officially supported and hosted by the Governor of Jakarta. The program will take place at Diorama Monas (National Monument), the iconic monument of Jakarta on November 15, 2013. Some interesting cultural performances and traditional culinary delights that you do not want to miss will be shown and will likely serve as memorable experiences.
We look forward to welcoming you all in Jakarta. Enjoy the AFES Congress!