APPENDIX B

JOINT COMMUNIQUE

1.            At the invitation of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 23-27 January 2011. 215 delegates from 17 member-countries of the APPF and two observer countries attended the Annual Meeting. The full list of participants is attached in Appendix 1.

2.         The APPF Executive Committee convened on 23 January 2011 to approve Agenda and Program of Work for the Annual Meeting. New Zealand in the absence of Marshall Islands substituted at the Executive committee meeting. The report of the Executive Committee meeting is attached in Appendix 2.

3.         On 24 January 2011 the President of the 19^th APPF Annual Meeting and Chairman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, His Excellency Mr. Demberel Damdin, accorded a warm welcome to all the participants and declared the Annual Meeting open. In his opening address, His Excellency Mr. Demberel Damdin highlighted that the region needs combined regulatory methods and mechanisms to strengthen regional peace and security, intensify nations’ development, ease the negative climate change impacts, ensure food and energy security, and enhance regional cooperation.

4.         The President of Mongolia, His Excellency Elbegdorj Tsakhia sent a Congratulatory Message to all the delegates on the occasion of the inauguration of the APPF 19^th Annual Meeting. The Prime Minister of Mongolia His Excellency Batbold Sukhbaatar also delivered welcoming address where he highlighted Mongolia’s Chairmanship of the Community of Democracies in 2011-2013 and called upon the international community, in particular the Asia-Pacific countries to closely cooperate with Mongolia in the fulfillment of this duty. Honorable Mr.Takuji YANAGIMOTO, Deputy Head of the Japanese Delegation and Member of House of Representatives delivered a special message from His Excellency Yasuhiro Nakasone, Honorary Chairman of the APPF. At the same event His Excellency Matthias Yao, Leader of the Singapore APPF Delegation and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore also addressed the delegates.

5.         The Leaders of the delegations paid a courtesy call on the President of the 19^th APPF Annual Meeting and Chairman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia His Excellency, Mr. Demberel Damdin as well as on the Prime Minister of Mongolia, His Excellency Mr. Batbold Sukhbaatar.

6.         At the opening plenary session, the report of the Executive Committee was adopted and approved by the Annual Meeting. On the agenda topic of political and security matters, delegates engaged in wide-ranging discussions and proposed several resolutions on Regional Peace and Security, Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Combating terrorism, illicit drug traffic and organized crime, Situation in the Korean Peninsula and abduction issue, and Middle East Peace Process.

7.         At the plenary session on economic and trade matters in the Asia-Pacific, delegates discussed   Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2010 Report, global economic situation, political response to last economic and financial crisis, promoting economic partnership and free trade, energy and food security. National delegations proposed several resolutions on Economic and Trade Matters in the Asia-Pacific Region, Movement of People, Energy and Food Security.

8.         At the plenary session on regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, delegates discussed and proposed resolutions on Climate Change, Cooperation in Disaster Management and Emergency Response, Strengthening Parliamentary Efforts to Accelerate the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, Fostering Eradication of Child Labor, Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers, Cultural Heritage, Education and Science Cooperation.

9.         At the final plenary session, Japan presented its report on Review of Administration of the APPF, and national delegations discussed and proposed resolutions on the future work and reform of the APPF.

10.       Delegates of the 19^th Annual Meeting of the APPF expressed their deep condolences to the people of the Russian Federation and condemn the terrorist bombing at the Domodedovo airport of Moscow on 24 January 2011.

11.       19^th Annual Meeting of the APPF adopted 17 resolutions based on the topics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs. The full list of resolutions adopted is attached in Appendix 3.

12.       Delegates also accepted Japan’s kind invitation to host the 20^th Annual Meeting of the APPF in Tokyo on 8-12 January 2012.

13.       At the conclusion the Annual Meeting thanked the Working Groups and the Drafting Committee for their tireless efforts on the Joint Communiqué and related resolutions, which contributed to the successful outcome of the Meeting.

14.       The Annual Meeting expressed heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to the President of the 19^th Annual Meeting of the APPF and Chairman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, His Excellency Mr. Demberel Damdin, for his hospitality and presidency of the 19^th Annual Meeting of the APPF, and to the Secretariat and the staff for their hard work and excellent arrangements.