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6th ICAPP General Assembly Wrapped Up with Success
Phnom Penh, December 4, 2010 AKP -- The 6th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) was successfully wrapped up here yesterday.
At the closing ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers H.E. Sok An stressed the Asian political parties’ determination to gather wills as well as resources so as to respond to the people’s expectations.
We had deep discussions on economic, energy and environmental issues, the three main factors to determine our future, said the Cambodian deputy prime minister.
“We have organized special workshops on ‘Women as Politicians’ and ‘Young Politicians’, which particularly focused on their roles in our common future,” he said, adding that the Centrist Democrat International Asia Pacific Executive Council Meeting and the first annual World Eco-Safety General Assembly have been also held during the 6th ICAPP General Assembly held on Dec. 1-4.
H.E. Sok An went on to say that the adopted Phnom Penh Declaration is a testimony showing our determination as political parties in questing a better tomorrow for our people.
Phnom Penh Declaration adopted by leaders and representatives of 100 political parties from 37 countries focuses on nine important points including reaching others to increase knowledge, dialogues, cooperation in order to achieve peace, security and social justice; the degradation of environment as our common challenge; the necessity of economic growth for all to narrow the gaps between peoples and nations; the importance of regional integration and more cooperation with other regional associations in the world; the necessity of each nation to improve its capacity for a durable agricultural growth; joint responsibility in combating climate change; the importance of renewable energy not only in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also in promoting sustainable development; the establishment of an ASEAN environment research center; and the promotion of close cooperation to deal with natural disasters due to climate change and environmental degradation.
Below is the full Phnom Penh Declaration:
“Draft Phnom Penh Declaration
Adopted at the 6th General Assembly of the ICAPP
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 3, 2010
We, leaders and representatives of (100) political parties from Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey and Vietnam, have gathered here in Phnom Penh, the magnificent Capital City of the Kingdom of Cambodia on the bank of the mighty Mekong River, for the Sixth General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) hosted by the Cambodian People’s Party in collaboration with the FUNCINPEC Party of Cambodia during December 1 to 4, 2010 under the main theme of “Asia’s Quest for Better Tomorrow.”
We declare as follows, taking note, in particular, that this historic event coincided not only with the Tenth Anniversary of founding of the ICAPP, but also the Thirty-third Anniversary of establishment of a salvation front for the liberation of the Cambodian nation from the genocidal regime.
1. We reaffirm that the ICAPP is an open forum for all political parties in Asia and has become the pivot of inter-party dialogue and cooperation in our home continent, in parallel to the efforts of our governments, to achieve our common goal of sustained peace and shared prosperity in the continent, through making great contributions during the first decade of its inception to (1) promoting exchanges and cooperation between political parties with various ideologies in Asia; (2) enhancing mutual understanding and trust amongst the peoples and countries in the region; and (3) promoting regional cooperation through the unique role and channel of political parties. We also reaffirm our strong commitment to the spirits and principles embodied in the Charter of the ICAPP and subsequent Declarations of the General Assemblies of the ICAPP – Manila in 2000, Bangkok in 2002, Beijing in 2004, Seoul in 2006 and Astana in 2009.
2. We reiterate our strong commitment to the intent and the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, the Five Principles of the Peaceful Co-existence and the Ten Principles of Bandung that emphasize democracy, good governance, human security, principles of human rights, dignity, freedom, and well-being, rule of law and inter-faith-cultural togetherness. We are also committed to ensure peace, security, stability and prosperity in our home continent in the context of growing political and economic multi-polarity by respecting and adhering to the following principles:
a. Each state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity;
b. Right of every state to determine its own political, economic and social systems;
c. Non-aggression and non-interference in each other’s internal affair;
d. Peaceful settlement of territorial disputes and respects for treaties and international laws;
e. Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and
f. Opposing and denying all forms and shape of terrorism, splittism and extremism.
3. We support the joint initiative with other regional political institutions, including the Permanent Conference of Political Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), to reach out to political parties in other continents of the world, to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation through dialogue and exchanges, and to convene a global convention among all political parties in the world in the near future.
4. We recognize that poverty and climate change are by far two greatest challenges facing mankind today and strongly endorse and support all efforts, both international and national, to fight against poverty and reduce the affect of climate change, including in particular the efforts led by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to accelerate the progress toward the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and to arrive at appropriate solutions to reduce greenhouse gases with due urgency and importance. In this regard, we endorse the initiative to obtain an observer status for the ICAPP in the U.N. General Assembly to coordinate our activities with the various U.N. programs to meet the two challenges in a more concerted and efficient way.
5. We realize the need for improving liquidity management and pooling resources to allow Asian economies to have more control on the ownership of the processes of national and regional development. We need to seek inclusive growth by expanding economic parity in Asia and increasing the share of benefit from the global economy, by bridging development gap and streamlining integration with strong emphasis on improved physical infrastructure and connectivity. We also need to boost intra-regional trade in Asia by eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers on the basis of open regionalism, harmonizing and deepening cooperation and integration of East and South Asia through synergizing and converging of ASEAN and South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) frameworks, strengthening the Mekong-Indo Economic Corridors; linking Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) with South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) as well as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In this regard, we also reaffirm our commitment to the establishment of Asian Anti-Poverty Fund and Asian Micro-Financing Fund which had been called for in the Declaration adopted at the ICAPP Conference on Poverty Alleviation held in Kunming, China in July 2010.
6. We recognize that rising economies of Asia with their billions of population will tremendously put upward pressure worldwide in the prices and demand for food. However, there is a promising scope for transforming agriculture into the source of sustainable growth in Asia since it has a great potential to cater the increasing demand for foods within the region and beyond. In particular, we take note of the great potential of Mekong River basin as the main source of food, and, therefore, urge and encourage the countries in the subregion to protect and manage their water resources and develop their agriculture, including organic agriculture, to help not only reduce poverty in the countries, but also enhance the regional food security and ease the problem of food prices increase worldwide.
7. We recognize the critical need for de-linking and departing from business as usual, blame game or shifting of responsibility in addressing the issue of climate change and moving forward with the use of renewable and clean energy sources in a ground-breaking manner. We firmly believe that it is the proper course and the responsibility of all countries and communities in the world. Our departure in this way will require revisiting the culture of energy production and use, impacting upon the evolution of civilization. We will strive for strong political commitment, and education, awareness and advocacy campaigns amidst the mass citizenry to effectively make this breakthrough, which is so urgently needed, to happen. In this regard, we reiterate that the role of international cooperation in technological advancement and climate adaptation will be crucial.
8. We recognize that moving toward the increasing use of renewable energy is not merely an effort to improve environment and reduce CO2 emission but also an opportunity to create sustainable domains of promoting economic activities and growth, and raising income and employment. We should view the renewable sources as the main stream of Asia’s energy in light of their vastness for exploitation and energy security. In this regard, we further emphasize that more emphasis and generous support is needed for the technological advancement in the area of renewable energy, and an environment to attract the best minds and sufficient resources is needed for this purpose.
9. While we support the ongoing efforts to address the challenges caused by climate change and arrest the emission of greenhouse gases, we admit at the same time the need for continuous supply of conventional sources of energy to fuel the development process at least for some decades to come. In this regard, while emphasis should be placed on increasing use of renewable energy and on raising efficiency and clean technology for the use of conventional energies, the vast oil and gas reserves in our region should also be fully developed and utilized to deliver energy security in an era of volatile energy prices to all of us.
10. We recognize that biological diversity has played a crucial role in human civilization, and its loss will be a threat to long-term economic sustainability. The most important values of the biodiversity are the ecological services and commodities that it provides, such as purification of freshwater, maintenance of the earth’s climate, and sustaining food supply and timber. In this regard, we call for the establishment of Environment Research Center in Asia to support region's sustainable future development and creation of an institution to encourage pioneering and innovation for sustainable development, particularly in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fishery.
11. We call for close coordination and cooperation among countries in the region to cope with recurring natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and flooding, in a more efficient and timely way by linking all activities of prevention, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction at all levels, local, national and international. In this regard, we endorse the establishment of the ICAPP Medical Emergency Forum (IMEF) to adequately respond to challenges and threats from natural disasters as agreed at the 1st Meeting of the IMEF Steering Committee in Langkawi, Malaysia in May 2010. We also welcome the decision to convene the ICAPP Conference on Natural Disasters and Environmental Protection in Malaysia in May 2011.
12. We recognize the need for active work with young people and women since the process of Asian renovation cannot be implemented without extensive involvement of younger generation and women. We call for the establishment of ICAPP’s Youth and Women Organization.
13. We emphasize on the importance of preserving Asian heritages, cultures and values, which besides providing tangible benefits can also usher the development process in consonance with peace and happiness of mankind.
14. We highly support and compliment the efforts of the Cambodian People’s Party, under the able leadership of Samdech Chea Sim, Samdech Hun Sen and Samdech Heng Samrin, in achieving the following goals:
a. Negotiating political settlement to ensure Cambodia that is independent, peaceful, democratic and neutral;
b. Safeguarding and defending the Constitution and guaranteeing political stability and security, thus enabling steady economic development; and
c. Preventing the genocide from coming back to power and bringing the remnants of the Khmer Rouge leaders to justice through the Extraordinary Chamber within the Court of Cambodia.
Finally, we express our most sincere gratitude to the Cambodian People’s Party and the FUNCINPEC Party for hosting this historic 6th General Assembly of the ICAPP. Further, we thank the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia for their support and warm hospitality. We also take note with appreciation the continuous support of Hanns Seidel Stiftung, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Korea Foundation which have made this conference a meaningful gathering.
Adopted unanimously on this 3rd day of December 2010 in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.” –AKP
Text by: CHIM Nary
Translated by: SOKMOM Nimul
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AKP/02
PM Hun Sen Meets Foreign Leaders
Phnom Penh, December 4, 2010 AKP -- Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, received here on Friday visiting Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives H.E. Feliciano Belmonte.
In the meeting, the Cambodian premier highly valued the presence of H.E. Feliciano Belmonte and his entourage in Cambodia, saying that it will help further boost and expand the cooperation between Cambodia and the Philippines, as well as promote the relations between Asian political parties.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen asked H.E. Feliciano Belmonte to help push the implementation of all agreements already signed by the two countries, particularly the MoU related to agricultural and agro-commercial cooperation, Ieng Sophalet, assistant to the prime minister told reporters after the meeting.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen went on to say that the Cambodian side would like to see the Philippines’ investment in Cambodia’s field of agriculture, especially in rice production and exportation.
The Cambodian premier further urged the Filipino side to examine the possibility to establish direct flights between the Philippines and Cambodia.
In reply, Speaker of the Philippine House
of Representatives H.E. Feliciano Belmonte, who paid a visit to Cambodia to attend the 6th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and the 10th Founding Anniversary of ICAPP, pledged to discuss Cambodia’s propositions with the Filipino president upon his return to his country.
Earlier on Dec. 2, Samdech Techo Hun Sen held a talk with HunHhH.E. Fidel Ramos, former president of the Philippines.
During the talk, the former Filipino president praised Cambodia for its remarkable development and the success of the 6th ICAPP General Assembly, particularly the establishment of the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI).
For his part, the Cambodian prime minister informed H.E. Fidel Ramos of the royal government’s policy to promote the cooperation between the two countries, mainly in the field of agriculture and tourism.
On the same day, in his meeting with Prime Minister of Nepal H.E. Madhav Kumar Nepal on the sidelines of the 6th ICAPP General Assembly, Samdech Techo Hun Sen accepted his Nepalese counterpart’s invitation to pay an official visit in Nepal in an appropriate time. --AKP
Text by: CHIM Nary, CHEY Phum Pul
Translated by: SOKMOM Nimul
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AKP/03
ICAPP Proposes Global Debt Reduction to Finance Climate Change Programs
Phnom Penh, December 4, 2010 AKP -- The International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) has proposed global debt reduction to finance climate change programs, according to a press release of the ICAPP Press Secretariat issued on Dec. 3.
The full press release reads as follows:
“The poorest countries are often the ones that suffer the most from natural calamities that may wipe out, in the twinkling of an eye, tens of years of material gains that people may have won from patient husbandry, hard work and thrift.
In saying this, Jose de Venecia Jr., Founding Chairman of ICAPP and Founding President of CAPDI, stressed the urgent need to reverse this downward spiral towards ecological collapse, by saying that humankind must learn to live in harmony with nature and the people could no longer exist as the arrogant and heedless ‘masters of the universe.’
Venecia also proposed a radical measure to aid the campaign and fight against climate change by calling for a global debt relief for environment.
‘We propose a substantial ‘debt-for-environment’ formula to complement the debt-for-equity plan to fight poverty for the 100 highly indebted middle income countries under the United Nation’s millennium development goals (MDG).’
Our proposal is voluntary and does not ask international creditors to forgive or suspend a single dollar of debt, nor will it require new money from the legislatures of any of the rich countries,’ said Venecia, stressing that the proposal simply calls for creditor states and lending institutions the option of converting up to 50% or portions thereof of the debt service payments they received into investor’s equity in environmental programs in their debtor countries which could include reforestation, water conservation, alternative energy, mass housing, health education, eco-tourism and other social infrastructures.
The Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, said ‘Nepal is host of seven of the world’s highest peaks and being a mountainous nation, we are faced with the dire consequences of climate change, which has direct negative impacts on our country.’
‘We are faced with melting snow, global warming, environmental degradation and being a poor country, we are unable to cope with this, other than appealing to the international community to give more attention to the mountainous nations whose very existence depended on the environment in which they existed.’
A dramatic video presentation on the effects of climate change was also shown – uncontrollable floods, blinding pollution, sweeping mud slides, pounding waters and other calamities which were key points to shock the audience in realizing the perils of climate change and disregard for the environment.
Earlier, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An, who is also the Minister in Charge of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 6th ICAPP General Assembly, said in his opening remarks that today’s world faced real challenges and dangers from the effects of climate change and global warming.
‘What we are facing today is not of our doing but we are nevertheless faced with its impact. The developing nations and the poor nations are bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change and global warming and we, as political party leaders and governments must take coherent, cohesive and consistent measures to tackle these perils,’ Dr. Sok An said.
He said that Cambodia was equally vulnerable to the threats to its eco-system and that it was giving close attention to the twin concerns of the battle against climate change and the battle against poverty as they were closely linked and thrived on one another.
Meanwhile Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told reporters on the sideline of ICAPP’s conference that the 2 main priorities of Nepal at this moment are the development of the Agro Industry and Tourism Development. The Government of Nepal is looking to collaborate with Cambodian Government in these 2 areas as they hold the most promise.
He said he had detailed and meaningful meetings with Cambodia’s Premier Hun Sen on bilateral issues and exchange of views on mutual interest. He said Nepal and Cambodia enjoyed closed mutual relations, understanding, goodwill and friendship and that he hoped the visit will deepen the relations between both the countries and open the doors for new opportunities, especially in Agriculture and Tourism Sector.
He said that Cambodia has pledged its support for Nepal’s bid to be the President of the 2011 United Nations General Assembly while Nepal had in turn pledged to support Cambodia’s bid to have her candidate as a non permanent member of the United Nation’s Security Council in the 2012/2013 period.” --AKP
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AKP/04
Increasing Tendency towards a Change in Motivation of Membership in Formal Youth Organizations
Phnom Penh, December 4, 2010 AKP -- A press release was issued at the end of the ICAPP Special Workshop on Young Political Leaders held here on Dec. 2.
The following is the full press release of the ICAPP Press Secretariat:
“Asia’s youth populations are burgeoning, irrespective of whether they are organized through formal youth organizations and those who are not.
In saying this, Say Samal, Cambodia’s deputy secretary general of the Royal Government and who is also a member of Youth Association of Cambodia, stressed ‘some studies indicate that there is an increasing tendency towards a change in motivation of membership in formal youth organizations: many members have a pragmatic rather than an ideological interest in their activities.’
‘Explicit efforts must be made to include these young people who face obstacles, such as cultural norms that favor hierarchical relationships between generations, economic circumstances that prevent them from participating in anything other than income generating activity and lack of access to information and necessary skills,’ Samal said in his opening remarks at the ICAPP Special Workshop on Young Political Leaders.
Continuing on this, Kim Rithy, President of the Youth Association of Cambodia, said that never before has Cambodia seen an implosion of young entrepreneurs and technocrats entering the civil services to build a better tomorrow.
‘The youth of today, irrespective of their upbringing in terms of wealth or political bias, have human capital and innovativeness in them and that they were the key to lay the foundation for a brighter future for Cambodia in the years to come.’
‘Young entrepreneurs are the key to economic growth as they are filled with so much energy and creativity. If we have youth who have the basic fundamentals as the cornerstone of their development, they can easily integrate themselves with the world. Therefore, they must be encouraged to give their share of contributions towards building the nation,’ Rithy said.
‘In this regard we must help eliminate the difficulties which hamper the youth from development as they are the key for sustained human resources supply,’ he added.
He pointed out that the youth of one generation have great divergence from the youth of other generation. However, young generations face greater obstacles in their development into useful human resource and capital.
‘The challenge was to carefully balance the economic system, ecology and the environment in which the youth can thrive,’ said Rithy.
Meanwhile Abdullah Rifau, Youth Wing President from Maldives, said that the most important aspect for youth is for them to earn public respect and support as these elements were the key to win the heart of the public in becoming young leaders in any country.
‘The public have become acutely aware of the general tendencies of political leadership to enrich themselves. This has to be avoided like the plague. Leadership is critical but, of equal importance, is the need for young leaders to have a vision – a vision as to where our leaders want our future to be.’
‘Leadership must be confident. The more important thing is to support the rule of law. In democracy the leader must make sure the rule of law is maintained,’ said Rifau.
He stressed that when the leadership starts to believe that they are above the law, people will no longer respect them. They have to make sure there is no more corruption and that they do not impede the rights to freedom of speech.
‘Successful young leaders must have the passion, patience and take practical step to contribute towards society and the country’s political growth,’ Rifau concluded.
The speaker from the United States of America, Gary W. Raynolds, Chief of Police, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, in his comments warned that the emerging problem for youth today is technology in the realms of internet and its abuse in pornography leading to sexual and child exploitation.
‘We must do out utmost to ensure that there is no more harm befalling on our children vis-a-vis child labor and our youth in all aspects. To enable this, there should be more education and preventive measures in place to eliminate abuse or exploitation of our children,’ said Raynolds.
At the closing remark Deputy Secretary General of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Samal, said the general consensus of the participants of the Special Workshop on Young Political Leaders is that ICAPP is an open and unique forum for Asia’s political parties and beyond.
He added that ICAPP has taken another step yesterday afternoon – that is by extending the forum to include the special workshop for young political leaders working to achieve the common goal of sustained peace and shared prosperity in Asia.
‘We were exceptionally pleased to note that this first special workshop on young political leaders here in Phnom Penh will help to promote exchanges and cooperation amongst youth who may be subscribing to competing ideologies and also enhance mutual understanding and trust among our peoples and countries; and promote regional cooperation in our home continent,’ said Samal.” –AKP
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