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ASEM summit issues declaration on MDGs

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-25 21:29

BEIJING -- The seventh summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) issued a declaration here Friday on sustainable development, calling for international cooperation on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The summit, held in Beijing from October 24 to 25, attracted leaders and delegates from 45 ASEM members.

The declaration said the leaders and delegates recognized that it was a grave challenge as well as pressing task for humanity to achieve sustainable development.

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"ASEM partners are willing to strengthen cooperation in a mutually beneficial manner and work towards win-win solution so as to make positive contribution to sustainable development," the declaration said.

The declaration reiterating that all nations should, whilst pursuing economic development, strive to maintain environment quality and take full account of the needs of future generations.

The leaders realized that economic development, social progress and environmental protection were three mutually reinforcing and interdependent pillars of sustainable development, and emphasized that Internationally Agreed Development Goals and particularly the MDGs, climate change and energy security, social cohesion were issues calling for special attention in achieving sustainable development.

On the MDGs, the leaders reaffirm that the MDGs and the Johannesburg targets underpinned international cooperation for sustainable development. They welcomed on-going efforts made by ASEM partners in achieving the MDGs and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs) thus far and recognize the grave challenges in achieving the MDGs as scheduled globally.

They called for fully coordinated response and comprehensive strategy to tackle this issue in an integrated manner from a short to medium and long term, and through practical cooperation to stabilize commodity markets.

They called on all partners to increase sustainable agricultural productivity and grain production, reduce market-distorting agricultural subsidies and to expand investment in agriculture and rural development, create more job opportunities for low-income earners and raise their income level so as to effectively reduce hunger and poverty and to ensure food security.

The leaders also urged all partners to demonstrate greater political will and take concrete actions to strictly fulfill their commitment so as to promote the achievement of the MDGs as scheduled globally.

The declaration reaffirmed the commitment to establishing a genuine global partnership for development cooperation and stressed the leading role of the United Nations in coordinating international development cooperation and building the international consensus on sustainable development matters.

The leaders called on developed countries to increase resources for development and fulfill the commitment of achieving the overall target of using 0.7 percent of their gross national income (GNI) by 2015 for official development assistance and raise aid effectiveness.

The declaration also emphasized that financing for development is an important element for achieving the MDGs and that the international community should implement the Monterrey Consensus expeditiously.