Asian, African nations vow to stick together<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of their meeting, Asian and African leaders
\ndeclared on Sunday a new partnership that binds them in wide-
\nranging cooperation to cope with their problems and achieve
\ncommon goals. The partnership also heralds sustainable solidarity
\namong Asia and Africa nations in the wake of globalization.
\nFollowing is the full text of the declaration.<\/p>\n
We, the Leaders of Asian and African countries, have gathered
\nin Jakarta, Indonesia on 22-23 April 2005 for the Asian-African
\nSummit to reinvigorate the Spirit of Bandung as enshrined in the
\nFinal Communique of the 1955 Asian-African Conference and to
\nchart the future cooperation between our two continents towards a
\nNew Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).<\/p>\n
We reiterate our conviction that the Spirit of Bandung, the
\ncore principles of which are solidarity, friendship and
\ncooperation, continues to be a solid, relevant and effective
\nfoundation for fostering better relations among Asian and African
\ncountries and resolving global issues of common concern. The 1955
\nBandung Conference remains as a beacon in guiding the future
\nprogress of Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n
We note with satisfaction that since the 1955 Conference,
\nAsian and African countries have attained significant political
\nadvances. We have successfully combated the scourge of
\ncolonialism and consistently fought racism. In particular, the
\nabolishment of apartheid represents a milestone in Asian-African
\ncooperation and we reaffirm our continued determination to
\neradicate racism and all forms of discrimination. As a result of
\nour efforts over the last fifty years, we are all independent,
\nsovereign and equal nations striving for the promotion of human
\nrights, democracy, and the rule of law. However, having made
\nthese political gains, we are concerned that we have not yet
\nattained commensurate progress in the social and economic
\nspheres. We recognize the need to continuously strengthen the
\nprocess of nation and state-building, as well as social
\nintegration.<\/p>\n
We remain committed to the principle of self-determination as
\nset forth in the Final Communique of the 1955 Bandung Conference
\nand in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. In
\nparticular, we express our abhorrence that, fifty years since the
\n1955 Bandung Conference, the Palestinian people remain deprived
\nof their right to independence. We remain steadfast in our
\nsupport for the Palestinian people and the creation of a viable
\nand sovereign Palestinian state, in accordance with relevant
\nUnited Nations resolutions.<\/p>\n
We emphasize the importance of multilateral approaches to
\ninternational relations and the need for countries to strictly
\nabide by the principles of international law, in particular the
\nCharter of the United Nations. As Asia and Africa represent the
\nmajority in the community of nations, we reaffirm the need to
\nsupport and strengthen multilateralism in order to address global
\nissues, including reforming multilateral institutions.<\/p>\n
We recognize that the current global situation and the
\nprevailing conditions in Asia and Africa necessitate the need to
\nactively pursue a common view and collective action to ensure the
\nequitable sharing of the benefits of globalization. We are
\ndetermined to meet the internationally agreed targets and goals
\naimed at poverty eradication, development and growth, and
\nunderline the necessity for all parties to honor their
\ncommitments in this regard. We emphasize the importance of
\nenhancing cooperation with all regions.<\/p>\n
We underline the importance of dialogue among civilizations to
\npromote a culture of peace, tolerance and respect for religious,
\ncultural, language and racial diversities as well as gender
\nequality.<\/p>\n
We acknowledge the positive development of intra-regional\/sub-
\nregional integration in both continents. Nevertheless, continent-
\nwide inter-regional cooperation among the two continents needs to
\nbe developed. We are convinced that cooperation between sub-
\nregional organizations, through sharing experiences and best
\npractices, can propel growth and sustainable development.<\/p>\n
We underline the importance of bringing the regions closer
\ntogether by utilizing the advantages derived from the
\ncommonalities and diversity of, as well as the new and
\nencouraging developments in, both regions. We emphasize both the
\ncollective responsibilities and the important role of all
\nstakeholders in exploring innovative and concrete ways and means
\nto strengthen cooperation between Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n
In this regard, we acknowledge the importance of complementing
\nand building upon existing initiatives that link the two
\ncontinents, inter alia Tokyo International Conference on African
\nDevelopment (TICAD), China-Africa Cooperation Forum (CACF),
\nIndia-Africa Cooperation, Indonesia-Brunei Darussalam sponsored
\nNon-Aligned Movement Center for South-South Technical
\nCooperation, Vietnam-Africa Business Forum, and the Smart
\nPartnership Initiative and the Langkawi International Dialogue.
\nWe stress the importance of streamlining and aligning existing
\ninitiatives for coherence and maximum benefit and to avoid
\nduplication.<\/p>\n
We acknowledge the New Partnership for Africa's Development
\n(NEPAD) as the African Union's program for poverty eradication,
\nsocio-economic development and growth and accept it as the
\nframework for engagement with Africa. We express our support for
\nthe implementation of NEPAD.<\/p>\n
We underscore the urgency of promoting economic development in
\nthe Asian and African regions, as stipulated in the 1955 Bandung
\nConference. We stress that poverty and under-development, gender
\nmainstreaming, communicable diseases, environmental degradation,
\nnatural disasters, drought and desertification, digital divide,
\ninequitable market access, and foreign debt, remain as issues of
\ncommon concern which call for our closer cooperation and
\ncollective action.<\/p>\n
We envision an Asian-African region at peace with itself and
\nwith the world at large working together as a concert of nations
\nin harmony, non-exclusive, bonded in dynamic partnership and
\nconscious of our historical ties and cultural heritage. We
\nvisualize an affluent Asian-African region characterized by
\nequitable growth, sustainable development as well as a common
\ndetermination to enhance the quality of life and well-being of
\nour people. We further envisage a caring Asian-African society
\nwhere the people live in stability, prosperity, dignity and free
\nfrom the fear of violence, oppression and injustice.<\/p>\n
To this end, we hereby declare, as an expression of our new
\npolitical will, the establishment of a New Asian-African
\nStrategic Partnership (NAASP) as a framework to build a bridge
\nbetween Asia and Africa covering three broad areas of
\npartnership, namely political solidarity, economic cooperation,
\nand socio-cultural relations. The strategic partnership provides
\na momentum in achieving peace, prosperity and progress, and will
\nbe based on the following principles and ideals:<\/p>\n
1. The Ten Principles of Bandung of the 1955 Asian-African<\/p>\n
Conference;<\/p>\n
2. Recognition of diversity between and within the regions,<\/p>\n
including different social and economic systems and levels of<\/p>\n
development;<\/p>\n
3. Commitment to open dialogue, based on mutual respect and<\/p>\n
benefit;<\/p>\n
4. Promotion of non-exclusive cooperation by involving all<\/p>\n
stakeholders;<\/p>\n
5. Attainment of practical and sustainable cooperation based on<\/p>\n
comparative advantage, equal partnership, common ownership and<\/p>\n
vision, as well as a firm and shared conviction to address<\/p>\n
common challenges;<\/p>\n
6. Promotion of sustainable partnership by complementing and<\/p>\n
building upon existing regional\/sub-regional initiatives in<\/p>\n
Asia and Africa;<\/p>\n
7. Promotion of a just, democratic, transparent, accountable and<\/p>\n
harmonious society;<\/p>\n
8. Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental<\/p>\n
freedoms, including the right to development;<\/p>\n
9. Promotion of collective and unified efforts in multilateral<\/p>\n
fora.<\/p>\n
The NAASP shall emphasize the need to promote practical
\ncooperation between the two continents in areas such as trade,
\nindustry, investment, finance, tourism, information and
\ncommunication technology, energy, health, transportation,
\nagriculture, water resources and fisheries.<\/p>\n
The NAASP shall also address issues of common concern such as,
\narmed conflict, weapons of mass destruction, transnational
\norganized crimes and terrorism, which are fundamental to ensuring
\npeace, stability, and security.<\/p>\n
We are determined to prevent conflict and resolve disputes by
\npeaceful means and endeavor to explore innovative mechanisms for
\nconfidence building and dispute resolution as well as for post-
\nconflict peace-building.<\/p>\n
The NAASP shall promote human resource development, enhanced
\ncapacity building and technical cooperation in order to create an
\nenabling environment for the betterment of the regions.<\/p>\n
We resolve that the sustainability of the NAASP shall be
\nconducted through three tiers of interaction: an
\nintergovernmental forum; sub-regional organizations; and people-
\nto-people interaction, particularly business, academia, and civil
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
We are determined to develop an institutionalized process of
\nthe NAASP through convening: a Summit of Heads of
\nState\/Government every four years; a Ministerial Meeting of
\nForeign Ministers every two years; and Sectoral Ministerial and
\nother Technical Meetings when deemed necessary. A Business Summit
\nin conjunction with the Summit of Heads of State\/Government will
\nbe held every four years.<\/p>\n
We pledge to our peoples our joint determination and
\ncommitment to bringing the NAASP into reality by implementing
\nconcrete actions for the benefit and prosperity of our peoples.<\/p>\n
Done in Bandung, Indonesia, on the Twenty-fourth of April in
\nthe year Two Thousand and Five, in conjunction with the
\nCommemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Asian-African
\nConference of 1955.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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