1. The 7th East Asia Summit (EAS) was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 20 November 2012. The Summit was chaired by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Summit was attended by the Heads of State/Government of the ASEAN Member States, Australia, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United States of America. The Russian Federation was represented by its Foreign Minister.
2. We extended our warmest congratulation to the Honorable Barack Obama on his re-election as the President of the United States of America for the second term.
3. We expressed our deep sympathy and deepest condolences to the peoples and the Royal Government of Cambodia and especially to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah BOROMNEATH NORODOM SIHAMONI, King of Cambodia, and Her Majesty Queen-Mother NORODOM MONINEATH SIHANOUK, for the passing away of the His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah NORODOM SIHANOUK, the late King- Father of Cambodia on 15 October 2012. We shared our sadness of this great loss with the people of Cambodia during this mourning period. Cambodia expressed gratitude to the respective Leaders for sharing condolence to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah NORODOM SIHAMONI, King of Cambodia, Queen-Mother, the Royal Government of Cambodia and the people of Cambodia.
4. We noted with satisfaction the progress in cooperation in the six priority areas, namely environment and energy, education, finance, global health issues and pandemic diseases, natural disaster mitigation and ASEAN connectivity, and also shared our view on the need to utilize exisiting mechanisms to facilitate the implementation of the concret project in all the six priority areas for EAS cooperation. We also reaffirmed the need to further promote cooperation to support the implementation of ASEAN Connectivity, which will contribute to the enhanced connectivity in the region.
5. Consistent with the 2005 Kuala Lumpur Declaration, we emphasized the role of the EAS as a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security and economic issues of common regional concern. We exchanged our views on the future direction of the EAS, as well as regional and international issues. In this regard, we encouraged confidence building among the EAS participating countries and continue the open and frank exchange of views on issues of strategic importance of common peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia.
6. We took note with appreciation of the comprehensive outcome of the Second East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting which was held in Phnom Penh, on 12 July 2012.
7. We took note with appreciation the outcomes of the First EAS Economic Ministers’ Meeting which was held on 30 August 2012, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We recognized the necessity of striking a balance between the deepening of ASEAN integration and its enhanced participation to the global supply chain. In this regard, we stressed the important role of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) which has been providing valuable inputs to regional efforts towards East Asian Economic Integration under the three pillars, namely “Deepening Economic Integration”, “Narrowing Development Gaps”, and “Sustainable Development”, covering a wide range of policy areas, such as trade and investment, economic integration, SME promotion, human resource and infrastructure development, connectivity as well as energy and environment issues.
8. We welcomed with appreciation the report of the Royal Government of Cambodia-ERIA-Harvard Symposium on “Realizing a More Integrated, Competitive, Equitable, and Resilient ASEAN Community” and the “Phnom Penh Initiatives for Narrowing Development Gaps”, which set out the key strategies to further ASEAN agenda to narrow development gaps within ASEAN, both within and between ASEAN Member States, and amplifies an important element of the Phnom Penh Agenda to Realize the ASEAN Community by 2015.
9. We welcomed the Statement of ERIA’s 5th Governing Board Meeting issued on 23rd June 2012 and its work plan to undertake research and policy recommendations to enhance community building efforts through consultation, cooperation and consensus in order to maximize the benefits of integration in East Asia and bring them closer to ordinary people. We also encouraged ERIA for its continued support to the Summit activities of ASEAN and East Asia through its research and policy recommendations.
10. We recognized the important contribution of mutually beneficial economic partnerships among the EAS participating countries to the overall growth and development of the region, especially in light of rapid regional and global developments. We recognized the importance of all efforts to enhance regional economic integration toward forming the ASEAN Community. We noted the adoption of the Joint Declaration on the Launching of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Negotiations and the endorsement of the Guiding Principles and Objectives for Negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership by ASEAN and its FTA Partners.
11. We took note of the outcome of the 2nd Informal East Asia Finance Ministers’ Meeting which was held on 13 October 2012, in Tokyo, Japan. We expressed our support for continued finance cooperation in the EAS, and agreed that this priority area of EAS cooperation should be further developed through cooperative work.
12. We welcomed the significant role of the EAS, as a key regional forum bringing together the world’s most dynamic economies, in support of promoting sustained economic growth at the regional and global levels. We reaffirmed our commitment to enhance coordination and cooperation, in close collaboration with regional and international financial institutions, including the ADB and the IMF. We also reconfirmed our strong will to further strengthen the cooperation on a broad range of political, security issues of common interests and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia.
13. We reaffirmed our commitment to avoid protectionist measures affecting trade and investment. To this end, we intended to refrain from raising new barriers to investment or trade in goods and services— imposing new export restrictions or implementing WTO-inconsistent measures in all areas, including those that stimulate exports, the rollback the trade—distorting or protectionist measure that may have arisen, and to exercise maximum restraint in implementing measure that may be considered to be consistent with the WTO provisions but have a significant protectionist effect and promptly rectifying such measure, where implemented.
14. We reaffirmed our commitments under the Declaration of the 6th East Asia Summit on ASEAN Connectivity, which emphasized not only intra-regional efforts to enhance ASEAN Connectivity but also shared the importance of expanding connectivity beyond ASEAN. We encouraged the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) and its counterparts under EAS to work out the issue of financing connectivity projects towards realizing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity with appropriate support from ADB, ERIA, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Bank.
15. We expressed our commitment to enhance both bilateral and multilateral cooperation on disaster management through regional mechanisms, including strengthening the operationalisation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management
(AHA Centre).
16. We welcomed cooperation between the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) and other EAS participating countries through the on-going discussion on the linkage between the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme (2010-2015) and the Indonesia and Australia Paper on “A Practical Approach to Enhance Regional Cooperation on Disaster Rapid Response”.
17. We expressed appreciation of the U.S. initiative to promote implementation of the Rapid Disaster Response (RDR) agreement concept among the EAS participating countries. We encouraged the development of RDR agreements among EAS countries, on the basis of consensus, in order to speed deployment and acceptance of international assistance more effectively in response to a large-scale disaster in the Asia-Pacific region.
18. We welcomed India’s initiative to host the “EAS India Workshop 2012: Building a Regional Framework for Earthquake Risk Management” in New Delhi, in November 2012, and took note Delhi Outcome on Earthquake Risk Reduction in EAS participating countries. We also welcomed Japan’s active contribution to promote disaster reduction, providing ICT equipment and emergency stockpile among others to the AHA Centre. We also commended Japan for hosting the “World Ministerial Conference on Disaster Reduction in Tohoku” in July 2012 in the disaster stricken area, reaffirming the importance to build resilient societies and to mainstream disaster reduction in decision making at all levels. We welcomed the offer made by Japan to host the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.
19. We took note of the ADMM-Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise (AHMX+) to be held in Brunei Darussalam in June 2013 with the participation of all EAS participating countries to enhance military-to-military interoperability and coordination in a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario incorporating military medicine.
20. We appreciated Thailand’s supportive effort in enhancing cooperation on disaster management by hosting the 21st ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) Meeting in Thailand in January 2013, with participation from EAS participating countries, which can serve as the forum to push various disaster management related ideas into pragmatic use, and co-hosting with the Republic of Korea, the ASEAN Regional Forum-Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF-DiREx) in Thailand 2013 to strengthen capacity of the region.
21. We took note of New Zealand’s intention to arrange a Regulatory Roundtable to further the goals of the Declaration on ASEAN Connectivity adopted at the 6th EAS by complementing and building upon existing ASEAN work to advance regulatory cooperation and to extend the discussion on regulatory/institutional connectivity to ASEAN’s economic partners. We agreed that an objective of the Roundtable should be to reinforce and not duplicate regulatory work underway in other regional fora.
22. We welcomed the successful convening of the 6th EAS Energy Ministers’ Meeting on 12 September 2012, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, such as commencement of new research studies by ERIA, and tasked relevant Ministers to strengthen energy cooperation. We acknowledged the concrete achievements in the area of Energy Efficiency and Conservation,\ Biofuels for Transport and other Purposes, and Energy Market Integration. We welcomed the call of establishing efficient, transparent, reliable, competitive and flexible energy markets as a means to provide affordable, secure and clean energy supplies for the region. We expressed appreciation to Cambodia for hosting the Second EAS Energy Efficiency Conference on 31 July – 1 August 2012. We also expressed appreciation to Singapore and New Zealand for the organization of the inaugural EAS Energy Market Deregulation Forum on 23 October 2012, in Singapore. We welcomed the initiative proposal in setting up an instrument to provide financial support to implement activities on Low Carbon Growth.
23. We welcomed the proposal from Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia and the United States to establish a U.S. – Asia-Pacific Energy Partnership for a Sustainable Energy Future. This partnership will highlight and enhance collaboration on energy issues in the Asia-Pacific region by expanding energy engagement and advancing projects that encourage sustainable economic growth. The Partnership represents a significant step forward toward a shared, sustainable energy future in the Asia-Pacific region.
24. We appreciated the outcome of the First East Asia Low Carbon Growth Partnership Dialogue, co-chaired by Indonesia and Japan, in Tokyo, Japan, on 15 April 2012, and looked forward to the fruitful outcome of the Second Dialogue, to be co-chaired by Cambodia and Japan in Tokyo, in 2013.
25. We welcomed progress made at the 3rd EAS Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Thailand, in September 2012, and looked forward to further work on environmentally sustainable urban development and climate change adaptation. We took note of the outcomes of the 3rd High Level Seminar on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (HLS-ESC) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on 6-8 March 2012, and looked forward to the 3rd EAS Seminar on Climate Change Adaptation Capacity Building, the EAS Forum on New Energy, which will be held in China. We expressed our appreciation to Australia for the hosting of two seminars on sustainable cities in Viet Nam and Indonesia, in 2012.
26. With regard to the problem of poaching of and illicit trade in endangered and protected wildlife and living marine resources, we welcomed U.S. support in combating illicit trade in wildlife and agreed to explore future cooperation through the ASEAN and other relevant regional and international bodies.
27. We discussed with concern the emerging public health threat of resistance to antimalarial medicines in the region and acknowledged the significant human costs, potential impact for regional security and wider economic implications including for trade and tourism. We adopted the Ddeclaration of the 7th East Asia Summit on Regional Responses to Malaria Control and Addressing Resistance to Antimalarial Medicines in which decided to strengthen national and regional responses to drug resistant malaria and keep progress on this matter under review in 2013 and 2014. We welcomed Australia’s recent hosting of a regional conference, Malaria 2012, which reached consensus on the need to promote high level political leadership and collaboration to control and eliminate malaria in the Asia-Pacific including addressing drug resistant malaria.
28. We adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration on EAS Development Initiative and called for various parties to step up cooperation in this regard. We also expressed our support with appreciation to China’s proposal to host the 1st Forum on Human Resources for Health Management Development in Asia-Pacific Region for the EAS participating countries and welcomed the intention of China to host a track 1.5 International Symposium on East Asia Summit and the Future of East Asia in 2012, in China.
29. We expressed strong commitment to further strengthen the human resource development in the region. We welcomed the successful convening of the First EAS Education Ministers’ Meeting (EMM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on 5 July 2012, which adopted the EAS Education Action Plan. We acknowledged the importance of education cooperation in improving regional productivity and prosperity and welcomed cooperative projects underway. We welcomed progress Australia has made on the EAS Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Quality Assurance Framework, on a feasibility study into an EAS regional facility for education quality assessment, and on capacity building projects in higher education quality assurance. We also welcomed the Republic of Korea’s initiative to work with Australia in developing an EAS Regional Network of TVET Providers.
30. We welcomed with appreciation the Brunei Darussalam-US English Language Enrichment Project for ASEAN as part of their commitment to support capacity building for the peoples of ASEAN. We looked forward to the new ASEAN Fulbright Scholarship Initiative for ASEAN in support of scholarly exchange. We also welcomed China’s proposal to improve cooperation on higher education, especially in bilingual teaching to promote competitiveness of higher education in the East Asia region.
31. We welcomed Brunei Darussalam’s offer of scholarships to all EAS participating countries over the next three years, for a Master of Public Policy and Management, which allows special focus on Energy and Environment Policy and Management, at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and includes a semester of study at one of four leading United States’ universities, which will strengthen cooperation in higher education and people-to-people linkages amongst EAS participating countries.
32. We welcomed Japan’s new youth exchange project, namely “Kizuna Project,” which was a part of Japanese reconstruction plans and aimed at promoting global understanding of Japan’s revival efforts in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. We emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges, particularly among the youth and students, with a view to fostering a sense of togetherness, mutual respect and understanding of each other’s traditions and values.
33. We reaffirmed our support for the important role of Nalanda University and welcomed suggestions on the establishment of other centres of educational excellence in the EAS countries to improve access to quality education in the region. We also welcomed the Lao PDR’s contribution of the USD50,000 to support the revival of Nalanda University.
34. We reiterated our firm commitment to work closely towards strong, sustainable and balanced growth and agreed to strengthen our coordination and cooperation on G-20 related matters, including supporting the continued, regular participation of the ASEAN Chair at the G-20 and APEC Summits.
35. We took note and welcomed the positive developments in Myanmar, and we reaffirmed our support for Myanmar’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2014.
36. We noted the signing of the “Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)” and the adoption of the “ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.”
37. We shared the view of enhancing cooperation on non-traditional security issues, including terrorism, narcotics, and transnational crimes such as human trafficking and people smuggling, that are inextricably linked to strengthening connectivity. We resolved to deepen cooperation against international terrorism under the framework of the ASEAN-US Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism, the ARF statements and its Work Plan on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes, and the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy. We noted the significant achievements in ASEAN over the past several years in countering terrorist threats and bringing terrorists to justice. We committed to continue identifying and implementing actions towards this goal. We also underscored the importance of promoting disarmament and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. We recognized the contribution of the Nuclear Security Summits including the one held in Seoul in March 2012 in facilitating regional and international cooperation to combat nuclear and radiological.
38. We underlined the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. In this regard, we reiterated that the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the Six-Party Talks is essential not only for the enduring peace and stability in the region but also for the integrity of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. In this context, we called on parties concerned to comply fully with their international obligations under the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and to fulfill their commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks with a view to achieving long-lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. We also emphasized the importance of addressing humanitarian concerns of the international community. At the same time, we called for the early resumption of Six-Party Talks.
39. We welcomed ASEAN Leaders’ commitment to strengthen efforts to combat trafficking in persons. We also recognized that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms that allow citizens a voice in how they are governed is key to peace and stability. We further recognized that these rights are universal in nature, and we stand ready to continue our shared work of realizing these values for all persons.
40. We noted the efforts of ASEAN, the ARF and APEC in addressing cyber security matters. We also noted the work of the ARF on cyber confidence building measures intended to build transparency and cooperation in an effort to reduce risk in cyberspace.
41. We welcomed progress made in the implementation of the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and agreed to expeditiously identify National Focal Points for this initiative. We also welcomed the Malaysia- Australia Muslim Youth Leaders Exchange and called for the convening of similar activities in the future.
42. We reiterated our commitment to implement consistently the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations, also known as the Bali Principles, a set of principles, or code of behavior, to guide our inter-state relations. We reaffirmed that our conducts and activities must consistently be guided by the Bali Principles, which ensure respect for international law, promotion of good neighborliness, renunciation of the use or the threat of use of force, and settlement of disputes by peaceful means. We realized that through adherence to these principles, we shall further advance the fulfillment of the East Asia Summit objectives of achieving common security, common stability, and common prosperity in the region for our peoples’ benefit.
43. We welcomed the regional efforts to enhance cooperation in promoting maritime cooperation in the region including sea anti-piracy, search and rescue at sea, marine environment, maritime security, maritime connectivity, freedom of navigation, fisheries and other areas of cooperation. We also welcomed the positive outcomes of the First Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) hosted by the Philippines in October 2012 with the aim to promote dialogue among EAS participating countries to common challenges on maritime issues. We looked forward to the convening of the Second EAMF in the future.
44. We noted with satisfaction efforts toward successful dialogues and cooperation based on the existing regional structures. We reaffirmed the importance of regional peace and stability, maritime security, freedom of navigation, continued constructive dialogue, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for principles of international law.
45. We noted and welcomed the US’ intention to accede to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery in Asia. We took note of the U.S.-ASEAN Seafarers’ Training Terms of Reference which will enhance joint efforts by United States and ASEAN to improve counter-piracy training and education for civilian mariners and to develop best practices and training programs that will enhance vessel security and ensure seafarers are prepared to respond to acts of piracy.
46. We recognized the grave risks posed by proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, their means of delivery, and related materials expertise, to international peace and security, and reaffirmed our common vision of a world without nuclear weapons. We acknowledged that proliferation of these materials and materials not only threatens the lives of our people, but also could undermine Asia’s free and robust trade architecture. We discussed the importance of implementing United Nations Security Council resolutions addressing nonproliferation and disarmament.
47. We, State Parties to the NPT, reaffirmed our support for the Action Plan adopted by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Parties at the May 2010 Review Conference and the outcomes of their Second Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul in March 2012. Further, we confirmed our support for implementation of actions called for by the Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference in December 2011. Leaders announced their desire to sign and bring into force the Additional Protocols to Safeguards Agreements with the IAEA. In this regard, we welcomed the entry into force of Vietnam’s IAEA Additional Protocol and we committed to universal adoption of the Additional Protocol as soon as possible. We, State Parties to the NPT, reiterated the importance of a full and nonselective application and implementation of the NPT’s three pillars – nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
48. We also recognized the critical role of the Mekong Region in all of ASEAN’s connectivity goals. We welcomed regional and international support for advancing Mekong sub-regional integration and “narrowing the development gap” within ASEAN. We also welcomed expanding people topeople ties and emphasizing public-private cooperation as an essential element of moving the region’s connectivity vision forward.
49. We also noted the successful hosting of the 9th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM9) held on 5-6 November 2012 in Vientiane, Lao PDR with the theme of “ Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity”, the Leaders of ASEM partners have exchanged views on important regional and international issues of common interest and concern, reviewed cooperation between Asia and Europe and set out future direction of ASEM process, including the adoption of Vientiane Declaration in order to strengthen the comprehensive, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation for peace, development and prosperity in the two regions.
50. We commended the efforts of Indonesia for hosting the Bali Democracy Forum on 8-9 December 2012, which provided the opportunity to expand and deepen democracy in the international community.
51. We recalled the 2010 Ha Noi Declaration on the Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of the East Asia Summit and welcomed the proposal of Brunei Darussalam to conduct a stock-take review and reflection aimed at further consolidating and strengthening the EAS on the basis of its established principles, objectives and modalities and to provide recommendations to the 8th East Asia Summit.
52. We looked forward to the convening of the 8th East Asia Summit in Brunei Darussalam in 2013.
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