WE, the ASEAN Ministers responsible for youth matters representing Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam:
PURSUANT to the aims and purposes of the Bangkok Declaration of 1967;
RECALLING the commitment of the ASEAN Heads of State and Government in adopting the ASEAN Vision 2020 in Kuala Lumpur on 15 December 1997, and the Ha Noi Plan of Action in Ha Noi on 15 December 1998, which provide the framework for intensified regional cooperation in promoting a socially cohesive and caring region;
NOTING the priorities stated in the Joint Declaration for a Socially Cohesive and Caring ASEAN and the ASEAN Declaration on Cultural Heritage adopted by the 33rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in 2000;
AFFIRMING the UN Millennium Summit Declaration, particularly its resolution to implement strategies to give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work, and the priorities identified by the World Programme of Action for Youth adopted by the 50th UN General Assembly in 1995 and the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes adopted in 1998;
REAFFIRMING the Bangkok Declaration of Principles to Strengthening ASEAN Collaboration on Youth of 1983, the Jakarta Declaration of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth of 1992, and the Kuala Lumpur Agenda for ASEAN Youth Development of 1997;
MINDFUL that youth constitute the core resource for ASEAN's prosperity and progress in the new millennium, particularly in addressing the challenges of rapid global and regional integration arising from more intensive trade liberalisation and the expanding use of information and communications technologies (ICT);
RECOGNISING the important role of youth in enhancing moral, spiritual, and cultural values as the basis for responsible leadership and in fostering regional solidarity and identity so as to strengthen regional resilience;
COMMITTED to providing opportunities to prepare and empower the region's youth to meet the increasing opportunities and challenges created by the process of globalisation, taking into account their capacities, potentials and vulnerabilities;
EMPHASISING the importance of self-reliance in sustaining the implementation of regional activities, particularly through cost-sharing and the utilisation of existing resources and capacities available in Member Countries;
DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:
1. Contribute to the preservation and maintenance of the vibrancy and resilience of ASEAN's rich cultural heritage and foster ASEAN awareness and identity among the region's youth, thus strengthening the foundation for an ASEAN community;
2. Encourage the spirit of volunteerism and social responsibility among ASEAN youth in all fields, particularly in helping the marginalised and the vulnerable, and thus contribute to the realisation of the ASEAN Leaders' vision of a socially cohesive and caring ASEAN;
3. Promote access to education, functional literacy, numeracy, knowledge of basic science and life-long learning, and provide opportunities for employment and self-employment, thereby facilitating the integration of youth into the labour market;
4. Endeavour to enable ASEAN youth with access to information and communications technologies (ICT) and opportunities to obtain skills needed to participate meaningfully in the knowledge-based economy;
5. Encourage and support the implementation of programmes, projects and activities for developing the leadership, entrepreneurship and business skills of ASEAN youth, as well as enhancing their technical and vocational skills and capabilities, particularly by implementing the ASEAN Work Programme on Skills Training for Out-of-School Youth;
6. Create enabling environments which encourage and facilitate the expression of youth creativity, and the participation and integration of youth in nation- and region-building programmes;
7. Involve ASEAN youth in seeking ways to further intensify regional cooperation in working towards full realisation of the recommendations of the ASEAN Leaders for a healthier and stronger ASEAN, free from the menace of drugs, and free from the scourge of HIV/AIDS;
8. Strengthen and promote exchanges of youth within ASEAN, in order to enhance cooperation, especially with respect to the exchange of information, the sharing of best practices regarding the role of youth in meeting the challenges of the new millennium;
9. Encourage and support the forging of partnerships and links of solidarity between ASEAN youth and youth in East Asia and other regions, in promoting peace, cooperation and prosperity in the region and beyond;
10. Enhance the grassroots impact of ASEAN youth cooperation by forging partnerships with NGOs, the community and the private sector in implementing the priorities of the Yangon 2000 Declaration.
DONE in Yangon, this Second Day of November in the Year 2000, in one single copy in English.
FOR BRUNEI DARUSSALAM:
Pehin Dato Hj. Awang Hussain Mohd. Yusof
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
FOR THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA:
Nou Muth
Undersecretary of State Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
FOR THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA:
Zainal Arifin
Deputy State Minister Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs
FOR THE LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC:
Bounpone Bouttanavong
Secretary-General Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union
FOR MALAYSIA:
Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein
Minister of Youth and Sports
FOR THE UNION OF MYANMAR:
Sein Htwa
Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement
FOR THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES:
Mabel P. Villarica-Mamba
Presidential Advisor on Youth Affairs Chairperson
and Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Commission
FOR THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE:
David T.E. Lim
Minister of State for Defence, and Information & the Arts, and
Chairman of the National Youth Council
FOR THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND:
Panit Nitithanprapas
Permanent Secretary
Prime Minister's Office
FOR THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM:
Vu Trong Kim
Chairman National Committee on Youth of Viet Nam