This conference will bring together various concerned groups, multi-disciplinary scholars and graduate researchers, as well as activists, state and non-state actors, NGOs, development workers, regional institutions and fellow citizens and non-citizens, in order to discuss the prospects and challenges for plans to move towards an AEC, as well as some of the contradictory ideas being proposed. The outcomes of the conference will help foster a wider and deeper understanding of the AEC, plus help inform the public, and prepare people for the changes ahead and to cope with any unforeseen consequences.

Objectives:
1. To provide a deeper and more rounded understanding of regional development under the AEC;
2. To challenge the premise of economic integration and trade liberalization;
3. To examine the human landscape and humanization of development; and
4. To offer a forum for concerns to be heard and tackled seriously.