On the first day, Fr Tomohiro Kojima, Rector of the Salesian Polytechnic of Tokyo, welcomed the participants. Fr Marcelo Farfán, IUS Coordinator General, opened the meeting and noted that this was the First regional / continental conference following the Seventh General Assembly of IUS (Rome, July 2016).
During the various sessions, thanks in particular to the work of Fr Ariel Macatangay, IUS Regional Coordinator, and the logistics organization of Professor Luis Marques of the host family, several issues were addressed:
- the diversity of IUS centres in the region;
- the implementation of the new IUS policies for 2016-2021 in the institutions;
- the working paper on "Guidelines for University Pastoral Care in IUS";
- the main features, contents and the process of implementing an institutional project for each IUS;
- formation proposals for IUS directors and executives, and for animators of pastoral ministry in the University;
- implementation of the Common Programme for 2016-2021,
- some proposals for working online with other universities, IUS in other regions or continents and between the IUS of the EAO region.
Some concrete initiatives involved a competition to select the IUS logo, a unified website for IUS, and a publication of scientific articles on "Salesian Charism and Higher Education."
At the end of the conference, participants agreed on a common programme for 2017-2019 for IUS centres in the region, with the following resolutions:
- ensure the ownership and involvement of IUS at the provincial level;
- institutionalize processes in the IUS, in particular through the Institutional Project;
- start exchange programmes between the IUS centres of the region.
The next regional conference of the IUS Asia-Pacific region will take place in Cebu, Philippines, in April 2019.
