Joint Declaration of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit, Singapore, 22 November 2007

WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU), gathered in Singapore on 22 November 2007 for the occasion of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit;

BUILDING on the momentum of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-EU relations, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rome Treaties to promote sustainable peace, security and prosperity through regional integration;

RECALLING the establishment of official relations between the EU's Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) and ASEAN in Brussels in February 1977, the Cooperation Agreement between Member Countries of ASEAN and European Community signed on 7 March 1980, the ASEAN-EU Joint Declaration on Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism endorsed on 27 January 2003 and the Nuremberg Declaration on an EU-ASEAN Enhanced Partnership endorsed on 15 March 2007;

NOTING with deep satisfaction that, over thirty years, ASEAN-EU relations have grown and expanded to cover a wide range of areas including political and security, economic and trade, social and cultural and development cooperation;

DETERMINED to deepen and broaden our cooperation, based on mutual trust and respect, with the ASEAN-EU Enhanced Partnership as a strong foundation for our relations and cooperation to ensure peace, stability, progress and prosperity in the region;

COMMENDING the adoption of the ASEAN Charter which marks a new level in ASEAN regional integration and sets a firm basis for its further community building;

EXPRESSING support for the realisation of the ASEAN Community by 2015;

WELCOMING the adoption of the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism at the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines;

ACKNOWLEDGING ASEAN's centrality and the leading role played by ASEAN in all ASEAN-related regional architecture, in particular the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as the main forum for regional dialogue and political and security cooperation in the Asia Pacific;

FURTHER acknowledging the importance of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) as a milestone in the regional code of conduct for inter-state relations and promoting regional peace and stability;

RECOGNISING the need to strengthen the promotion and the protection of human rights through practical steps and closer cooperation, including in international fora;

RENEWING our commitment to actively cooperate in addressing major global and transboundary problems such as climate change and its impact on socio-economic development and the environment, particularly in developing countries, as presented by the Fourth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;

RECOGNISING the need for all countries to participate in developing an effective, comprehensive, and equitable post-2012 international climate change arrangement, and in this regard, welcome Indonesia’s efforts to host the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 3rd Session of the Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol;

ACKNOWLEDGING that all countries have common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in addressing the common challenge of climate change, and that developed countries should continue to play a leadership role in substantially reducing global emission of greenhouse gases and that developing countries should also play their part, supported by developed countries through positive incentives, including through a strengthened global carbon market;

NOTING the role of forests in mitigating and adapting to climate change, preserving biodiversity and sustaining the livelihoods of forest communities; and

AFFIRMING the need to take an effective approach to address interrelated challenges of climate change, energy security and other environmental issues, in the context of sustainable development.

HEREBY DECLARE TO:

1. Commit to further enhance ASEAN-EU dialogue and cooperation and welcome the "ASEAN-EU Plan of Action to Implement the Nuremberg Declaration on an EU-ASEAN Enhanced Partnership" annexed herewith;

2. Continue ASEAN-EU dialogue and close coordination on regional and international issues so as to contribute to the maintenance of peace, security and prosperity;

3. Strengthen political dialogue between ASEAN and the EU as well as regional and political dialogue through the ARF for advancing the common interest of ASEAN and the EU in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region, with ASEAN as the driving force;

4. Welcome the intention of the EU/EC to accede to the TAC;

5. Support the implementation of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, an early conclusion of a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism, and the implementation of the ASEAN-EU Joint Declaration on Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism;

6. Explore cooperation to promote disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, as these represent serious threats to peace and security, according to the existing disarmament and non-proliferation conventions, treaties and instruments;

7. Enhance cooperation to support ASEAN’s efforts in its community building through effective implementation of the Vientiane Action Programme;

8. Support the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and other sub-regional endeavours to narrow the development gaps in ASEAN, as contributing to regional integration, through the EU’s ongoing bilateral programmes with ASEAN countries;

9. In light of the recent events in Myanmar, the ASEAN and the EU actively support the good offices mission of the UN Secretary General and the efforts of the Secretary General's Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari to bring about an inclusive and comprehensive process of genuine national reconciliation and peaceful transition to democracy;

10. Call for the release of political detainees in Myanmar, including those recently detained, and the early lifting of restrictions placed on political parties;

11. Welcome the decision of the Government of Myanmar to step up its engagement with the UN and to enter into a dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, recalling that such a dialogue should be conducted with all concerned parties and ethnic groups;

12. Reaffirm the willingness of ASEAN and the EU to help address the humanitarian needs of the people of Myanmar and to respond constructively to political transformation and reform, including Myanmar’s long-term development needs;

13. Enhance economic relations by expeditiously negotiating the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement based on a region-to-region approach, mindful of the different levels of development and capacity of individual ASEAN countries, providing for comprehensive trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation;

14. Agree to work closely to ensure an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, as priority for both ASEAN and the EU;

15. Intensify the implementation of the activities agreed under the Trans-Regional EU-ASEAN Trade Initiative (TREATI) and the Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (READI) in order to promote and broaden cooperation and relations between ASEAN and the EU in both trade and non-trade areas;

16. Enhance cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights in the fields of legislation, enforcement, and capacity building to build and strengthen awareness on intellectual property;

17. Commit to act with resolve to meet the interrelated multiple goals of addressing climate change, reducing air pollution and improving the global environment while contributing to sustainable development and improving energy security;

18. Commit to the common long-term goal of mitigating global emissions of greenhouse gases, so as to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations in the long run, at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system;

19. Strengthen cooperation to address the critical issue of climate change in accordance with the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, with particular emphasis on promoting energy efficiency and the use of cleaner and sustainable renewable energy, as well as promoting afforestation and reforestation and reducing deforestation, forest degradation and forest fires, and combating illegal logging and its associated trade; and in this regard, acknowledge sub-regional conservation initiatives such as the Heart of Borneo conservation plan and the Greater Mekong Programme and look forward to continuing the EC-ASEAN READI Dialogue on Climate Change;

20. Promote cooperation on the sustainable management and use of our biodiversity including forest, coastal and marine ecosystems and environments and other natural resources, taking into account the Convention on Biological Diversity to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010; and support the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, as a regional centre for biodiversity conservation and management, noting the importance of various regional and international initiatives such as the Forestry Eleven Forum and Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security;

21. Promote energy security, sustainable energy and multilateral measures for stable, effective and transparent global energy markets, through an ASEAN-EU policy dialogue on energy as well as through other regional fora such as the ARF, where appropriate;

22. Strengthen cooperation at the national, regional and international level to mobilise financial resources and to attract public and private finance for the deployment of technologies for clean and environmentally friendly energy investment;

23. Enhance cooperation in promoting the use of renewable and alternative energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind, tide, biomass, sustainable biofuels and geothermal energy, as well as, for interested parties, civilian nuclear energy; while giving careful and due regard to ensuring safety and security standards and exploring cooperation in this area;

24. Intensify cooperation in promoting, sharing and implementing environmentally sustainable practices, including the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies, the enhancement of human and institutional capacities and the promotion of sustainable production and consumption patterns; and in this regard, consider regional cooperation under the international Marrakesh Process on sustainable consumption and production (SCP);

25. Step up dialogue and cooperation at regional and global levels on disaster management including in the areas of preparedness, mitigation and emergency response as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction, and consider support for the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response;

26. Enhance cooperation in public health to address the threats of emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza;

27. Strengthen our socio-cultural cooperation by encouraging greater interaction among our peoples, in particular youth, academics, media personnel and civil society, and by cooperating with the ASEAN Foundation in promoting public awareness on ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations; and

28. Identify possible ways and mechanisms to cooperate to ensure the promotion and protection of the rights and welfare of migrant workers.

Adopted in Singapore on the Twenty-Second Day of November in the Year Two Thousand and Seven.


Source : http://www.aseansec.org/21120.htm

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