The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options.
Over fifty years of serving as a U.S.-based institution for public diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region, the Center has built a worldwide network of 57,000 alumni and more than 750 partner organizations.
The Center’s 21-acre Honolulu campus, adjacent to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is located midway between Asia and the U.S. mainland and features research, residential, and international conference facilities. The Center’s Washington, D.C., office focuses on preparing the United States for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence.
Research and education in sustainable development happens Center-wise but is emphasized in the Environmental Change, Vulnerability and Governance in the Research division and the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) and United States Institutes for Student Leaders on Global Environmental Issues (SUSI) in the Education division.
Recent research includes, Helping Pacific Island Communities Respond to Climate Change (RISA), Modernization and Emerging Infectious Diseases: The Case of Bird Flu in Vietnam, Cities at Risk: Building Institutional Capacity for Adaptation to Climate Change in Asian Coastal Cities, and Building Capacity for Community-Based Resource Management in Kachin State, Burma (Myanmar), and Energy and Environmental Policy in China.
The Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) is a postgraduate-level certificate that links advanced and interdisciplinary analysis of emergent regional issues with experiential leadership learning.
The United States Institutes for Student Leaders on Global Environmental Issues (SUSI) for Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern students utilize a progressive project-based learning methodology around the themes of water, food, energy, oceans, and land resource management.
Read more on the East West Center’s website.