About The Williamsburg Conference

enlarge image

The Williamsburg Conference is the pre-eminent gathering of leading Americans and Asians committed to strengthening US-Asia relations. Founded by John D. Rockefeller, 3d in 1971, the Williamsburg Conference has brought top leaders from Asia and the United States together for the past 38 years to discuss the greatest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific community and develop creative approaches for addressing them.

To assure its continued vitality, in 2007 the Williamsburg Conference has shifted its structure from the three co-convenors system of previous years to the Steering and Executive Committee system. 17 distinguished individuals from the Asia-Pacific region currently serve as members of the Steering Committee and seven members of the Steering Committee also serve on the Executive Committee. Members of the Committees assist the Asia Society in identifying key themes/issues to be discussed, and recruit the next generation of leaders of the region to participate in the Conference.

The Williamsburg Conference provides a forum that brings together the top leaders from government, business, academia, and other sectors from across Asia and the United States to thoughtfully explore the most challenging issues facing the Asia-Pacific community and develop proposals for how these challenges can be collaboratively addressed; and build a network of these leaders whose relationships with one another developed through the Williamsburg process can facilitate engaged multi-national and cross-sectoral dialogue and the peaceful resolution of any conflicts that may emerge.

The three-day Williamsburg conference has been held in 17 countries across Asia, including Siem Riep (Cambodia), New Delhi (India), Hanoi (Vietnam), Zhongshan (China), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Ubud, Bali (Indonesia) and Fukuoka (Japan). It has also been held five times in the United States.