ASIAN-AFRICAN CONFERENCE OFFERS OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ‘STRATEGIC BRIDGE ACROSS
INDIAN OCEAN’, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS IN MESSAGE TO BANDUNG MEETING
Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the first Asian-African Subregional Organizations Conference, being held in Bandung, Indonesia, from 29 to 30 July, delivered by Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP):
I would like to commend President Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa for jointly convening this first-ever Asian-African Subregional Organizations Conference.� By putting in place this important mechanism for partnership, they have demonstrated their continued commitment to the “Bandung spirit”, which emerged nearly half a century ago at the Asian-African Conference and which has inspired the Non-Aligned Movement throughout its existence.
The core values of that spirit -- solidarity, friendship and cooperation -- are in keeping with the United Nations purposes and ideals and are completely relevant today.� In a globalized world, the consequences of war, trade, epidemics, migration and environmental degradation are felt well beyond their immediate locale.� Indeed, these and many other key challenges of our times can be met only by looking beyond the traditional parameters of the nation-State, and by pursuing multilateral engagement and action.� As Asia and Africa strive to reduce poverty, achieve sustainable development, undertake political and economic reform, and promote peace and stability, regional and interregional cooperation can play a significant role.
In recent years, the United Nations system has worked hard to broaden and deepen its partnerships with civil society groups, the private sector and many other actors.� As envisaged in the Charter, regional and subregional organizations have been a central part of this effort, across the full spectrum of our common concern:� poverty reduction, good governance, disaster prevention, environmental protection, employment generation, advancing the role of women in society, and more.� Recent years have also seen subregional organizations play either leading or very important roles in trying to resolve protracted conflicts, despite meagre resources and poor infrastructure.� Building up and strengthening capacity in these and other vital areas, such as peacemaking and peacekeeping, must remain a high priority.
This meeting in Bandung, its follow-up session in South Africa next year, and of course the anniversary celebration in 2005, offer real opportunities to build a strategic bridge across the Indian Ocean.� I attach the greatest importance to this cooperation and look forward to the new partnerships that will emerge.� At this difficult time for the world community, I wish all of you a most productive and successful conference.
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