ASEAN-UNESCO
Symposium adopts statement on peace

The ASEAN-UNESCO regional symposium on cooperative peace held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on 11-12 September 1998 drew up a Statement on Peace in Southeast Asia on the Eve of the Third Millenium calling on nations of Southeast Asia to:

• reaffirm their determination to ensure their peaceful, progressive and endogenous development in accordance with the ideals and aspirations of their peoples;
• implement strategies for attenuating the effects of the current problems on the poorest sectors of the population, in particular in the fields of education, health, nutrition;
• implement rapidly productive employment in a spirit of a caring society;
• implement preventive strategies in the field of environmental protection with a view to preserve and ensure the sustainable use of the natural resources of each country and of the region as a whole; and
• preserve from erosion the achievements made in the nations of Southeast Asia in the fields of education, science and technology development;

The symposium called for the consolidation of progress in cooperative peace by mobilizing institutions and individuals committed to building peace in Southeast Asia and in the Asia Pacific region. The Statement also called on ASEAN and UNESCO to reinforce their cooperation and contribute to the consolidation of peace and security, development and democracy in Southeast Asia.

Mr. B.J. Habibie, President of Indonesia who called for "high intensity" international cooperation to overcome the current economic and financial crisis in the region, citing this as one important aspect of the multi-dimensional cooperative peace process, opened the Symposium.

The other speakers were Indonesian Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas, ASEAN Secretary General, Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr. and UNESCO Director-General, Federico Mayor. Former Philippines National Security Advisor, Jose Almonte, Jawhar Hassan of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Malaysia, as well as representatives from UNESCO, various academic institutions, and youth and women's organisations were among the delegates.

The symposium was organised within the framework of UNESCO's Culture of Peace programme, which aims to "firmly anchor peace in the minds of men and women." It was also held in keeping with the mandate of the Fifth ASEAN Summit of 1995, which declared that "cooperative peace and shared prosperity shall be fundamental goals of ASEAN."

ASEAN-UNESCO
Cooperation Agreement

The symposium culminated with the adoption of a cooperation agreement by ASEAN and UNESCO to facilitate the effective exercise of complementary activities, promote social and cultural development in the region, understanding and solidarity which are essential ingredients in peace-building.

ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr. and UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor signed the agreement.

The agreement calls for the Secretariats of ASEAN and UNESCO to hold consultations in order to exchange views on matters of common concern, explore mutually-beneficial cooperative activities, explore together new areas for cooperation and offer appropriate assistance to each other in support of joint activities such as the holding of joint special conferences on subjects within the competence of UNESCO and of particular relevance to ASEAN's activities.

Each organization may request the other to prepare studies, documentation or conference papers or to provide technical advice on subjects within the latter's fields of competence and relevant to conferences or meetings that the former is organizing or activities in which it is engaged.

The agreement also provides for the exchange of information and documents on matters of common interest with a view to better complementary action and more effective coordination between the two organizations.