The participants walked from the Copernicus Science Centre to the Asia and Pacific Museum, symbolically bringing together a space of modern science and technology and a place devoted to the culture and heritage of Asian and Pacific states. The event’s open and inclusive character emphasised the importance of direct people-to-people contacts as a foundation of lasting international cooperation. A parallel walk took place in Singapore, and ASEF member states had been invited to organise accompanying events. The walk was timed to coincide with ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) Day (1 March) and ASEF Day (15 February).

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ASEF (Asia–Europe Foundation) is an intergovernmental foundation established in 1997 as part of the ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) process to enhance dialogue and cooperation between the societies of Asia and Europe. Today, ASEF has 53 members—partners under the ASEM format: 30 European and 21 Asian states as well as two organisations, the European Union and the Secretariat of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The Foundation has carried out education, culture, civic society, media, and good governance programmes in support of fostering permanent interregional links with a focus on soft diplomacy and people-to-people contacts. Poland has been an ASEF member since 2004. ASEF’s incumbent executive director is a Polish representative, Ambassador Beata Stoczyńska.

ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) is a Europe–Asia cooperation process initiated in Bangkok in 1996.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was established in Bangkok in 1967. It is a political and economic organisation based in Jakarta.