On 26 August 2013, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, briefed the press on the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Dialogue (APMD) being held in Bangkok on 26 – 28 August 2013.

Under the theme “From the Millennium Development Goals to the United Nations Development Agenda beyond 2015”, the APMD is the first regional ministerial dialogue since the release of the Report of the High-level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Sihasak said. The report concluded that ending extreme poverty was a starting point of the post-2015 agenda. The agenda required major transformative shifts to create jobs and inclusive growth. At the APMD, ministers and senior officials from 53 ESCAP (the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) member states and 9 associate member states  considered the findings and had extensive discussions on the related key issues, concerns and aspirations of the region.

Mr. Sihasak stressed the post-2015 agenda was universal: it required equal partnership, cooperation, and taking common responsibility by all countries. Sustainable development, he noted, was not limited to environmental issues but needed a balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects of development. Human rights, rule of law and governance each played a vital role in sustainable development.

The Bangkok Declaration – a major outcome document from the meeting – would highlight the regional dimension of sustainable development. The Declaration would encourage the United Nations system, regional and sub-regional organizations to continue their support for Member States in implementing sustainable development. Discussion outcomes from the APMD will be presented to the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly this September as the Asia-Pacific region’s inputs to the formulation of the global development goals and agenda.