Co-Chair's Statement of the Second Asian
-African Sub-Regional Organisations Conference (AASROC),
Durban, South Africa, 20 August 2004
INTRODUCTION:
We, the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of South Africa
and the Republic of Indonesia, had the honor to co-chair
the second Asian-African Sub-Regional Organizations
Conference (AASROC II) in Durban, South Africa on 20
August 2004. Delegates attended the Conference from
81 African and Asian countries and 5 regional and sub-regional
organizations from both continents. The meeting was
also attended by the representatives of 10 invited observer
countries and 6 observer organizations. A meeting of
Senior Officials on 19 August preceded the Ministerial
meeting.
The aim of the Conference was to discuss and follow-up
on the outcomes of AASROC I and the AASROC Ministerial
Working Group Meeting, to further advance the work already
undertaken to identify issues of common interest and
concern, as well as areas of cooperation between the
two continents ahead of the Asian-African Summit scheduled
for 21-23 April 2005 in Indonesia.
The Conference reconfirmed the need to revitalize the
Spirit of the Bandung Asian-African Conference of 1955,
and emphasized that it remains a solid basis for closer
cooperation between the two continents. The Bandung
Spirit, the core principles of which are solidarity,
friendship and cooperation, continues to be a relevant
and effective foundation for resolving global issues
of common concern and fostering better relations among
nations.
The Conference discussed the rationale for establishing
a new bridge between Asia and Africa. The rationale
is rooted in the current reality and the global challenges
facing the two continents. Asian and African countries
have made significant political advances, but have not
yet attained commensurate progress in the social and
economic spheres.
Despite the opportunities offered by globalization,
countries in Asia and Africa continue to be marginalized.
There is therefore a need to actively pursue a common
view and collective action to ensure the equitable sharing
of the benefits of globalization, for example with regard
to issues of trade liberalization and market access.
There is an urgent need to further promote an enabling
international environment and to bolster cooperation
with regard to concerted and pragmatic approaches to
ensure that internationally agreed targets and goals
aimed at poverty eradication and sustainable socio-economic
development and growth are met.
The Conference expressed concern over current unilateral
trends, which undermine the role of multilateralism.
The Conference emphasized the importance of multilateral
approaches in international relations and the need for
countries to strictly abide by the principles of international
law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations.
In this regard, the United Nations continues to play
the central and vital role in the maintenance of peace
and security and the strengthening of international
cooperation. The Conference reiterated the need for
Asia and Africa to support and strengthen multilateralism
in order to ensure that multilateral efforts to address
global issues prevail. The Conference also noted the
important role of regional and sub-regional organizations
as building blocks for further strengthening multilateral
efforts.
Therefore, the Conference concluded that the establishment
of a strategic partnership among countries of Africa
and Asia is imperative in the context of the achievement
of peace, prosperity and progress in the African and
Asian regions. The nations of both continents have to
begin looking for ways to complement each other's strengths,
mitigate each other's weaknesses and develop workable
political and economic programmes and initiatives that
can be introduced and implemented in both regions.
The AASROC process is aimed at paving the way in building
a strategic bridge across the Indian Ocean as a means
of fostering cooperation and establishing strategic
partnerships between nations of both continents in the
spirit of South-South cooperation. The Conference reiterated
the values and objectives of AASROC I in initiating
and bolstering cooperation between Asia and Africa.
These values and objectives lay the foundations for
establishing the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership
(NAASP) as an expression of the new political will of
Africa and Asia to achieve a better future. The modalities
of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, designed
to achieve full economic, cultural, social and political
cooperation, address global challenges facing countries
in both continents and strengthen multilateralism, were
discussed.
AASROC PROCESS: PROGRESS THUS FAR:
During the Eighth ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
in November 2002, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa,
in his capacity as then Chair of the African Union,
called on ASEAN leaders to cooperate with Africa on
NEPAD and on matters of common interest. In response,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia proposed
to co-host the first Asian-African Sub-Regional Organizations
Conference (ASSROC I) with South Africa as a platform
for Asian-African cooperation. AASROC I took place on
29-30 July 2003 in Bandung, Indonesia.
The first AASROC Conference was a historic event in
which Asian and African Sub-Regional Organizations met
for the first time to discuss matters of common interest.
Delegates from 43 countries, 19 organizations and 28
invited observers attended the Conference. A Co-Chairs'
Statement was issued, which outlined that the Conference
had agreed on the principles for cooperation between
Asia and Africa, as a concrete basis for forging a New
Strategic Partnership that would incorporate existing
initiatives and foster exchanges of experience and best
practice between countries, sub-regional and regional
organizations in Asia and Africa.
The Conference also acknowledged NEPAD as Africa's
programme for poverty eradication, socio-economic development
and growth, noting that the United Nations had accepted
NEPAD as the framework for engagement with Africa in
a Resolution (A/RES/57/2) of November 2002. The Resolution
committed the UN and the international community to
supporting the implementation of NEPAD. The critical
role that the African Regional Economic Communities
have to play in the implementation of NEPAD was also
recognized.
The Conference confirmed that the AASROC process is
a re-invigoration of the principles and process of cooperation
between Asia and Africa as envisaged by the Asian-African
Conference (AAC) that took place in Bandung, Indonesia
from 18 to 24 April 1955. The AAC discussed ways and
means by which the peoples of the two continents could
achieve fuller economic, cultural, and political cooperation.
The leaders of Asia and Africa who participated in
the AAC envisioned a world order of independence, peace,
justice, and common prosperity. They crafted a new ethos
to govern the relationship between nations, which was
called The Ten Principles of Bandung. The final document
of the AAC stated that friendly cooperation in accordance
with these principles would effectively help countries
to maintain and promote international peace and security,
while cooperation in the economic, social and cultural
field would help bring about the common prosperity and
well being of all.
The principles and ideals that were set forth in Bandung
by the AAC constituted the seeds of non-alignment that
took root and institutional shape in Belgrade in 1961
in the form of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The Ten
Principles of Bandung became the inspiration of NAM,
and in turn made NAM the largest peace movement in history
and a force for justice and cooperation in a world beset
by tensions and conflicts. For decades NAM provided
an alternative vision to the dangerous bipolar polities
of the Cold War, and the continued relevance of the
NAM in the new world order has again been demonstrated
here in Durban over the last three days.
AASROC I established a Ministerial Working Group comprising
countries from Asia and Africa who volunteered to serve
on the group, as well as representatives from the sub-regional
organizations. The AASROC Ministerial Working Group
Meeting took place on 24 March 2004 in Durban, South
Africa, and was attended by the representatives of 19
countries and 10 organizations. This was preceded by
an African Consultative Meeting on 23 March, in which
a common African position was adopted with regard to
the development of a new strategic partnership with
Asia.
A Co-Chairs' Progress Report was issued at the conclusion
of the AASROC Ministerial Working Group Meeting. The
Report provided further clarity and direction as to
the envisaged nature of the New Asian-African Strategic
Partnership and steps to be pursued on the way forward,
for example a number of studies were commissioned. The
Co-Chairs were mandated to report the outcome of the
AASROC Ministerial Working Group to AASROC II, which
we have done.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF AASROC II:
The AASROC II Ministerial Conference confirmed support
for the outcomes of AASROC I, as reflected in the Co-Chairs'
Statement of 30 July 2003, and expressed satisfaction
with the progress of the AASROC Ministerial Working
Group, as reported to the Conference in terms of the
Co-Chairs' Progress Report of 24 March 2004.
The Conference focused on the following three topics
during its deliberations:
1. Contribution of Asian-African Sub-Regional Organizations
towards a New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).
2. Structures for Cooperation.
3. Levels, time frames and composition of dialogue on
the areas of cooperation identified by AASROC I.
Arising from these discussions, the following was
agreed to by the Conference:
Three broad areas of cooperation were confirmed,
namely: political, economic, and social and cultural.
These areas of cooperation must be developed within
the context of the environment of globalization and
intra-regional cooperation.
The NAASP must focus on practical, achievable,
concrete areas where the initiative can add value
as a process in a pragmatic fashion. Therefore, the
NAASP should be guided by the theme "Work Not
Words". In this regard, it was agreed that the
NAASP should, among others, focus on economic issues,
trade, investment, health and human resource development.
The importance of issues of peace and stability and
the notion of "the culture of peace," which
create an enabling environment for development and
economic cooperation, were also noted.
Structurally, three tiers of Asian-African interaction
were identified, namely: an Inter-Governmental Forum,
Sub-Regional Organizations and People-to-People interaction
(business, academia, civil society).
It was agreed that there should be an Asian-African
Summit level meeting once every four years. Asian-African
Ministers will meet every two years, while sectoral
Ministers (such as Agriculture, Health, Trade, Finance,
ICT etc.) will meet as required. Expert Working Group/Sectoral
Committee meetings will be held as required at Ministerial
level if necessary and, where possible, on the margins
of existing technical meetings in order to limit expenses
and time spent away from capitals.
The pivotal role of the respective Regional and
Sub-regional Organizations was emphasized. They should
meet on an annual basis to allow for an exchange of
best practices in conjunction with key international
partners, project managers and investors. The AU Commission
will serve as a coordinating focal point for the African
RECs in this process. The ASEAN Secretariat and the
SADC Secretariat will coordinate the organization
of the first Regional and Sub-Regional Organizations
meeting.
In order to afford the peoples of Asia and Africa
the opportunity to meaningfully engage with each other
to foster closer cooperation, arrangements will be
made to facilitate interaction between civil society
stakeholders in Africa and Asia, including the business
sector, representatives from youth, gender, civic,
disabled, cultural, labour and professional representative
organizations, academics, scholars, think-thank and
other research institutions.
Recognizing the pivotal role to be played by the
private sector, the Conference decided to create an
Asian-African Business Summit to operate on its own
steam once established. The Business Summit should
focus on exploring business opportunities, promoting
trade and investment, generating the required resources
and identifying measures to strengthen the African
private sector. Apart from bilateral business-to-business
contact, the Business Summit should also stimulate
regional and institutional interaction on these issues.
For example, the Asian Development Bank, African Development
Bank and Islamic Development Bank should work together
on Asian-African cooperation projects.
It was agreed that, wherever possible, meetings
of the three tiers of interaction be held together.
The Conference identified the need to streamline
and align existing initiatives for coherence and maximum
benefit and to avoid duplication, ie NAASP with TICAD,
China-Africa Forum, India-Africa cooperation, Vietnam-Africa
Forum, the Langkawi International Dialogue and the
Smart Partnership Initiative. In this regard, the
proposed Asian-African Business Summit should ensure
that synergies are exploited with other existing Asian-African
Business Forums, including under the TICAD process.
The Conference urged the United Nations Regional
Economic Commissions for Africa and Asia to provide
support to governments, sub-regional organizations
and initiatives for promoting and strengthening sub-regional
economic cooperation between Africa and Asia.
AASROC II: PRELUDE TO THE ASIAN-AFRICAN SUMMIT 2005:
The Conference agreed that the New Asian-African Strategic
Partnership be launched during the Asian-African Summit,
which will be held in conjunction with the Commemoration
of the Golden Jubilee of the Asian-African Conference
in Bandung, Indonesia in April 2005.
The NAASP is a vehicle to enable the countries of the
two regions to cooperate for their mutual benefit and
is intended to promote peace, prosperity and progress
in the two continents. The diversity in cultural, social
and economic characteristics and development of African
and Asian countries should be considered a strength
of this partnership. Through this cooperation, the countries
can draw lessons from each other's experiences in overcoming
common political, social, economic and development challenges,
in order to deliver the five basic human needs to our
people, namely food, shelter, health, education and
employment.
The Conference confirmed the principles on which
to develop the NAASP, inter alia:
The Ten Principles of Bandung of the 1955 Asian-African
Conference.
Recognition of the diversity between and within
regions, including different social and economic systems
and levels of development.
Commitment to open dialogue based on mutual respect
and benefit.
Cooperation based on Asian-African ownership, common
vision, equal partnership and a firm and shared conviction.
Efforts to strengthen, complement and build upon
existing regional and sub-regional organizations'
initiatives in both regions.
Cooperation should be practical and based on comparative
advantage and mutual strength.
The partnership should be able to exercise global leadership
on regional coherence, whilst at the same time enhancing
efforts to strengthen multilateralism. It should be
geared towards enhancing the bargaining power of Africa
and Asia in multilateral forums. The partnership should
take cognizance of the Millennium Development Goals,
the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation.
The partnership should draw upon the strengths of Africa
and Asia. It should maximize the capability and capacity
of Africa and Asia in order to achieve a more peaceful,
stable, progressive and prosperous Africa and Asia.
It should emphasize the collective responsibilities
and important role of sub-regional organizations in
exploring and implementing concrete steps to propel
growth and development. Sub-regional organizations have
extensive experience in different areas and can compare
best practices across regions. Increased synergy and
cooperation among regional organizations in Africa and
Asia would contribute to peace and prosperity in both
regions.
In the effort to develop and expand the New Strategic
Partnership between Africa and Asia, the sub-regional
organizations of the two continents can take an important
first step by sharing their best practices and experiences
in overcoming difficulties in the political, economic,
social and development fields. As a second step, the
sub-regional organizations could design programmes,
or plans of action, for mutually beneficial inter-regional
cooperation. The partnership will seek to translate
ideas into realities and guide Asia and Africa toward
a better future based on their collective self-reliance
and the support of Asia and Africa's development partners.
The Conference fully endorsed the holding of the Asian-African
Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 21-22 April 2005 and
the Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Asian-African
Conference of 1955, on 23 April 2005, in Bandung, Indonesia.
It was agreed that Indonesia and South Africa should
continue to coordinate the preparation process for the
Asian-African Summit of 2005.
As regards events related to the 2005 Asian-African
Summit, the Conference approved:
The organizing of an Asian-African Business Summit
in conjunction with the 2005 Summit, as a forum for
dialogue and interaction between governments and business
sectors.
The holding of a symposium and exhibition on promoting
renewable energy, and to form a "Community of
Renewable Energy of Asia and Africa".
The holding of an Asian-African workshop on the
role of women and youth in furthering Asian-African
cooperation. For this purpose, participating countries
will be encouraged to include women and youth in their
delegation to the Summit.
The hosting of an Asian-African cultural event and
other related activities involving civil society stakeholders
during the Summit.
In preparation for the Summit, a number of preparatory
meetings will be held to enrich the substantive preparation
of the NAASP. In this regard, the Conference endorsed
the organizing of an Asian-African Senior Officials
Meeting in February 2005, in Indonesia. In addition,
Indonesia will organize a Roundtable discussion on the
NAASP involving eminent persons from Asia and Africa.
The SADC Secretariat will organize a Sub-Regional Organizations
gathering in South Africa. It was further noted that
an Asian Consultative Meeting on the NAASP will be held
prior to the Asian-African SOM.
In order to identify specific, concrete and practical
steps that could become flagship agenda areas of cooperation
in a Plan of Action for realizing the New Asian-African
Strategic Partnership, the Conference discussed a number
of proposals and studies proposed by the March 2004
AASROC Ministerial Working Group Meeting namely:
The need for the media to play a role in informing
the peoples of Asia and Africa about each other's
societies and disseminating information on NAASP.
It was proposed that visits be undertaken by the media
of the respective countries in the run up to the 2005
Summit.
The identification of obstacles that hamper cooperation
between the two regions, and the exploration of best
practices and experiences that could foster closer
cooperation.
Practical steps to synchronize existing business
interactions and to ensure that there is cooperation
to strengthen business ties in identifiable fields,
for example in the area of commodities and their role
in trade and subsequent development patterns.
The need to have sufficient knowledge of economic
interaction, trade and investment patterns between
Africa and Asia, of opportunities and comparative
advantages that exist, and to address barriers to
improved economic cooperation and interaction.
A database/clearing house for information to facilitate
the identification of opportunities and to match projects
with investors and financiers should be created.
An examination of all existing initiatives between
Asia and Africa, as well as the EU/Africa relationship.
The need to identify the critical elements that
allowed certain countries in Asia to develop rapidly
as a way of sharing experiences/information to assist
African countries in their efforts to fast track the
process of economic growth.
The need to foster people-to-people contact as the
third pillar of the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership
by way of conducting activities such as:
Convening an "Asian-African Academic Gathering"
and nominating national focal points for this event.
Identifying institutions of excellence, including
universities, think tanks and other centers of excellence,
in order to facilitate a programme of interaction
and exchange.
Encouraging the institutions to undertake research
focusing on Asia and Africa cooperation.
Identifying institutions in Africa and Asia to promote
cultural exchanges and assigning national focal points
to establish an "Asian-African Cultural Network".
The Conference urged that the various studies presented
be analysed to identify concrete projects and recommendations
that could be presented in Bandung in April 2005.
Arising from the discussions on the studies presented,
the Conference decided that further studies would be
necessary by end-December 2004 on:
1. What can be done to improve product quality and competitiveness?
(World Bank and Ghana)
2. What can be done to facilitate direct trade between
Africa and Asia, ie selling directly from producer to
consumer? (ASEAN Secretariat)
3. What can be done to facilitate increased tourism
between Africa and Asia? (Tanzania, Zambia)
4. What can be done to ensure that producers have greater
influence on the process of commodity pricing? (World
Bank and Ghana)
5. What can be done in terms of putting in place regulatory
frameworks that would be attractive to investors? (China)
Virtual working groups should be created in order to
further facilitate the cooperation.
In conclusion, the Conference expressed its collective
appreciation for the arrangements, warm hospitality
and leadership provided for the Conference by the Government
and people of the Republic of South Africa.
