There are moments in one’s life, and in the life of nations, that begin as fragile dreams yet grow into enduring realities. For us, one such moment was September 2000 in Manila, when we first dared to gather political parties of every persuasion—ruling and opposition, left and right—under one roof.

Many said that it could not be done. They reminded us that our continent had known centuries of conquest and conflict, that Asia’s histories and ideologies were too divided, its wounds too deep. But we believed, as did a handful of colleagues, that if we could not begin the long journey toward dialogue, then Asia would forever remain imprisoned by its divisions.

We remember that first ICAPP conference as though it were yesterday. The Manila Hotel’s grand hall was filled with men and women who, back home, might never have spoken to one another. At the opening, the air was quite heavy with hesitation. Yet over the course of the sessions, something began to shift. Arguments gave way to exchanges, and silences softened into laughter. We recall party leaders discovering that while their nations had quarreled, their personal hopes were not so different—peace for their children, dignity for their people, progress for their countries.

We realized that the true miracle of ICAPP was not in passing resolutions, but in something simpler and more profound—the rediscovery of our common humanity.

From that uncertain beginning, the International Conference of Asian Political Parties grew roots and branches. Today, ICAPP is a family of more than 350 political parties from 52 countries. What began as an improbable experiment has become a permanent platform for dialogue in Asia, reaching even beyond—to Latin America through COPPPAL, to Africa through the Council of African Political Parties, to Europe, and even across the Pacific to the United States, where we began exploring cooperation with both Democrats and Republicans.

Along the way, ICAPP gave birth to initiatives that broadened its vision—the Youth Wing, Women’s Wing, Media Forum, Asia-Europe Political Forum, Asian Cultural Council, ICAPP Program for Disaster Assistance, and more. These were born of a conviction that politics, at its noblest, is not about power but about people—the young who will inherit our future, the women whose voices must be heard, the vulnerable who need help in times of disaster.

As we look back over two decades, we remember not only the institutions we built but also the friendships that endured. Men and women who once stood on opposite sides of bitter divides came to see one another as partners, even as friends. We may not have erased our differences, but we learned that dialogue itself is a form of peace.

And how urgent that lesson remains today. Poverty continues to haunt millions across our continents. Extremist ideologies spread fear and violence. Climate change now threatens the very survival of our planet. And the Covid-19 pandemic showed us how interconnected we truly are; that no wall, no border, no ideology can shield us from global crises.

In such a world, we cannot afford to retreat into isolation or hostility. We must remember what we discovered in Manila in September 2000—that dialogue is not weakness but wisdom, that cooperation is not concession but courage, and that peace, however fragile, is always worth pursuing.

At 25, ICAPP is still young in the life of institutions. But it has already proven that Asia can rise above its divisions, that the world can be bridged by dialogue, and that the small miracle we witnessed in Manila can, in time, become a way of life.

That, we believe, is the enduring legacy of ICAPP, not only for Asia but for humanity.