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 19th 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 19th
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 19th
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 andproposed
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 19th 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. 19th
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 20th 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 19th 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 19th Annual Meeting of the
APPF, and to the Secretariat and the staff for their hard work and excellent
arrangements.