15th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue issues Abu Dhabi Declaration





15th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue issues Abu Dhabi Declaration

18/01/2017

The 15th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) issued on Tuesday the Abu Dhabi Declaration in which it called for the endorsement of the ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030 to deliver the ACD future collaboration towards sustainable Asia.

Held under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in Abu Dhabi, the forum underlined that access to energy, food and water by all citizens "is the prime responsibility of every ACD Member States."

The full text of Abu Dhabi Declaration below: "We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other Heads of Delegation of the Member States of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), namely the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, the State of Kuwait, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of the Philippines, the State of Qatar, the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Singapore, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Having met in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, for the 15th ACD Ministerial Meeting on the 17th January 2017, under the theme: "Abu Dhabi, the Capital of Sustainable Energy", RECALLING the outcomes of the 2nd ACD Summit held in Bangkok on 9 - 10 October 2016 where Leaders adopted the ACD Vision 2030, the Bangkok Declaration and the Statement on Reigniting Growth through Partnership for Connectivity and reaffirmed the commitment to translate the vision into action and maintain positive momentum from the Summit, REAFFIRMING the endorsement of the ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030 to deliver the ACD future collaboration towards sustainable Asia taking into account the suggested elements in the blueprint 2017-2021, which pivots the first steps toward achieving ACD vision, REAFFIRMING the ACD members' commitment in meeting all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 2, 6 and 7, RECOGNISING that access to energy, food and water by all citizens is the prime responsibility of every ACD Member State, REFERRING to the agreed six consolidated pillars of ACD cooperation areas amongst ACD Member States; the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to translate the ACD vision into tangible actions through the agreed six pillars and welcomed the report from all Prime Movers and other members on the planned activities and their anticipated outcomes. The Ministers look forward to receiving further positive and tangible reports during the ACD Ministerial (Breakfast) Meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA72) in September in New York, RECOGNISING the United Arab Emirates and the People's Republic of China as Prime Movers of the pillar Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security, the Ministers took note with appreciation the outcomes of the meeting of the Prime Movers and Co-Prime Movers of Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 20 December 2016, CONSIDERING the recommendations of the Energy Working Group to provide sustainable, secure and affordable energy, and the importance it attaches to enhanced Asian cooperation, CALLING for strengthening regional cooperation, including all programs and initiatives to facilitate regional trade transit, expand trade, increase investment and promote infrastructure development, WELCOMING the International Specialised Exhibition "Astana Expo 2017" from 10 June to 10 September 2017 dedicated to "Future Energy" which will give an excellent opportunity for scientific and technological cooperation to achieve the goals of sustainability and energy efficiency, STRESSING the importance of economic diplomacy, knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and regulatory transparency in developing a dynamic and efficient Asian market for energy, water, and food, ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of moderation as a balanced approach that can contribute to economic sustainability, inclusive development, as it promotes dialogue, mutual respect, understanding and harmony, RECOGNISING the generous offers of the Islamic Republic of Iran to host the 16th ACD Ministerial Meeting in 2017 and the 3rd ACD Summit in 2018, the Kingdom of Cambodia for hosting the 2nd ACD Tourism Ministerial Meeting in June 2017, the People's Republic of China for hosting the Symposium on "Asia Cooperation Dialogue and the Building of an Asian Community of Shared Future", the Philippines for hosting the ACD Conference on Energy Security and Sustainability in August 2017, the Kingdom of Thailand for hosting an International Training Course on Sufficiency Economy in conjunction with the Working Group on Sustainable Development meeting in August 2017, the Republic of Indonesia for hosting the Workshop of Best Practice on Micro-Hydro Power Plant for Rural Electrification in 2017, EXPRESSING appreciation to the State of Kuwait for continuous support to the ACD Secretariat as it appears in the Letter of Intention, and expressing further appreciation to the Secretary General and the Secretariat for their continuing duties until Member States are able to discuss and agree on the Secretariat's operational details, such as funding model, responsibilities and staffing, NOTING with appreciation the offer of the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the ACD Meeting with other Secretaries General of regional organisations/fora in Asia and therefore tasking the ACD Senior Officials to articulate and elaborate this initiative, We, Ministers, agree to: Recognise, understand and highlight the importance of nexus/interrelation between energy, water and food security as critical to achieve long term sustainability.

Facilitate the role of the private sector and academia taking into account the importance of their role in promoting Research and Development to maintain a balance among the aforementioned elements.

Facilitate the creation of new economic opportunities and markets across Asia, with particular focus on the food, energy and water sectors.

Work to increase energy access and connectivity across the Asian countries.

Develop and integrate timely and coherent risk management systems for energy, water, and food security along with upgrading social safety nets to safeguard the poor.

Promote investments including research and development to enhance energy, water and food security and ensuring sustainable development.

Encourage knowledge sharing, technology transfer and capacity building among the ACD Member States.

Encourage Member States which are Prime Movers and Co-Prime Movers in each pillar to establish an open-ended Working Group to discuss action plans and carry out activities in their relevant areas.

Express appreciation to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for the warm hospitability in hosting the 15th ACD Ministerial Meeting and its sideline events.

Adopted in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on 17 January 2017.


 














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