His Majesty King Mswati III signing the Bandung Message 2015
HIS MAJESTY SIGNS BANDUNG MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF AFRICA
26/04/2015 03:00:00By King’s Office Correspondent
His Majesty King Mswati III signing the Bandung Message 2015 on behalf of African leaders. This was in Bandung shortly after the 60th Commemoration of the Bandung Historical Walk that launched the Asian-Africa Conference.
...After historic 100 metre Asia - Africa walk
His Majesty the King Mswati III was greatly honoured by leaders from Africa and Asia when he was asked to sign the Bandung Message on behalf of the African continent.
This was after the king had joined about 21 heads of state and government or their representatives, in commemorating the Bandung Historical Walk just as the originators of the Asian-African Conference did 60 years ago on the exact hour and manner.
The signing was the second significat honour for the king at the Asia-africa conference which officially ended yesterday, having been asked to co-chair one of the conference sessions held under the theme ‘Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity.’ It took place in Jakarta and Bandung.
The king walked for 100 metres along Asia Afrika Street, from Savoy Homann Hotel to the Gedung Merdeka which took about 10 minutes. After all the VVIP guests had arrived at the main hall of Gedung Merdeka, a group photo session began.
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jinping who represented Asia signed on behalf of Asian countries.
After Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivered his speech, African countries were represented by President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, the chairman of Organisation of African Unity (AU).
interests
President Then Sein of Myanmar, who represented Asia, voiced the interests of the continent, saying that the spirit of the first Asian-African countries on 24 April 1955 was still relevant today.
President Mugabe and the other Asian and African leaders attending the event in Bandung made remarks supporting the independence of Palestine, urging the solidarity of Asian and African countries to work together in this political challenge.
The one hour event at Merdeka Building was then marked by the signing of the Bandung Message. Among the heads of state/government who joined the event were President of Timor-Leste Taur Matan Ruak, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea Kim Yong Nam, Prime Minister of Nepal Sushil Koirala , Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Rwanda Anastase Murekezi, Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, and others.- Additional info Edi Utama.
HIGHLIGHTS OF BANDUNG MESSAGE
g April 24t is Asia-Africa Day- In signing the Bandung Message yesterday, Asian and African leaders have declared April 24 as Asian-Africa Day to celebrate Asian-Africa solidarity, cooperation and partnership to promote world peace and prosperity. Bandung has also been declared the capital of Asian –Africa solidarity.
g Establishment of Asian –African Centre – The leaders welcomed the decision by the government of Indonesia to establish an Asian-African centre in Indonesia that will serve as an institutional support base of the New Asian African Strategic Partnership(NAASP) of 2005 and participation of other Asian and African countries is encouraged in this regard.
g No single model of democracy –The leaders reaffirmed the importance of promoting democratic values. While acknowledging that there is no single model of democracy, they are committed to forging cooperation in strengthening democratic institutions built on people’s aspirations through dialogue and cooperation.
g Strengthening Political Solidarity – The leaders committed themselves to collectively combating violent extremism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, while recognising moderation as an important value in countering all forms of extremism and promoting dialogue, mutual respect, understanding and acceptance.
g Self determination – The leaders remain committed to the principle of self determination as set forth in the Final communiqué of 1955 Bandung Conference, and reiterated in Bandung declaration on the New Asian –African Strategic partnership on 24 April 2005 and in accordance with the Carter of the United Nations. In this regard, they reaffirmed their principled and longstanding support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the achievement of their legitimate national aspirations.
g Economic and Development Issues –Leaders pledged to work together to formulate a strong, forward looking, inclusive and equitable post 2015 development agenda, which focuses on eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.
g Tourism – Leaders encouraged countries of the two regions to strengthen cooperation in sustainable tourism development and empower community-based tourism through technical assistance and sharing of knowledge. “We condemn the poaching of wildlife and support ban on illegal trade in wildlife products,” they declared.
g Climate Change impact on developing countries – The leaders expressed concern at the impact of climate change on developing countries. They called for the effective and appropriate cooperation from all stakeholders to fully respect the principles, provisions and objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; in particular the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances.
g South-South Cooperation – Leaders reaffirmed the importance of South-south cooperation as a manifestation of solidarity among Asian and African countries and a complement to, rather than a substitute, for North South cooperation.
g Social and Cultural Relations –The leaders underlined the importance of closer international collaboration and coordinated responses to combat epidemics and communicable diseases.
COOPERATION KEY TO ASIA-AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on all Asian-African countries to cooperate in all sectors as it is a key to development and prosperity amid the current challenges.
“We should make the aspiration into reality by establishing cooperation on equal basis with other fellow countries,” the president said in his speech on the 60th commemoration of the Asian African Conference at the Merdeka Building, Bandung, West Java, Friday.
According to Joko Widodo, “as the president of the Republic of Indonesia who leads more than 250 million people, he has yet to make the country free from poverty. We are still left behind developed countries as this problem is still being faced by fellow countries in Asia and Africa”.
The head of state called on all the participants to reinvigorate the spirit of Asia Africa, which was voiced by the leaders of the countries in the two continents in 1955.
“Let us reinvigorate the Bandung spirit of the leaders in the past and enhance mutual understanding as well as promote the world peace and fight for the independence of Palestine,” he said.
On the occasion, President Joko Widodo, locally known as Jokowi, expressed the importance of economic cooperation among the countries in Asia and Africa.
“In addition, we have to cooperate hand in hand on efforts to improve the people’s prosperity and enhance the economic and trade cooperation. I hope this measure would be taken by every country,” he said.
In addition to the leaders of Asia and Africa, the event of the commemoration at the Merdeka Building was also attended by former president of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ministers of the current cabinet, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil.-
