The Permanent Secretary delivers Presentations on Regional Preparatory Meetings  relating to Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) on the outcome of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD)

8 July 2014, United Nations, New York

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                   On 8 July 2014, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow,  Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Acting Foreign Minister shared the outcome and key policy messages from the Asia - Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) during Regional Preparation Meetings relating to Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) at the United Nations Headquarter, New York.

                  
                   The Permanent Secretary informed the meeting that the APFSD, held in Thailand on 19 – 21 May 2014 was a success. The Forum was attended by more than 280 participants. Among the key priority areas needing urgent identified by APFSD were to eradicating poverty and narrowing inequality, promoting gender equality and women empowerment, responding to population dynamics and urbanization, improving resource efficiency and natural resource management and addressing climate change problems.

                  
                   The Permanent Secretary then highlights the key recommendations from the regional preparatory session for the 2014 Annual Ministerial Review of the ECOSOC as follows:

                   1) Progress towards achieving the MDGs within and across countries in the region has been uneven. Levels of disparities and deprivation remained very high. Thus, the MDGs would likely to be an “unfinished agenda”.

                   2) To address persistent inequalities, governments were encouraged to take steps to strengthen human rights, the rule of law, open and accountable institutions, and social protection, create decent and productive work for all, promote nondiscriminatory political, legal and socio-cultural norms and prevent over-exploitation of natural resources.

                   3) Universal access to quality education and health services are priorities in the context of reducing poverty and inequalities.

                   4) Disaster risk reduction is critical to the region and should be adequately addressed in the post-2015 development agenda.

                   5) Emerging challenges including youth unemployment and low job creation, rapid urbanization, access to clean water and basic sanitation, climate change and environmental pressure such as pollution and water scarcity also need to be addressed in the post-2015 development agenda

                   6) To successfully accelerate progress towards the MDGs, political commitment, national ownership, capacity building, political stability and absence of conflict, integrated policy and cross-sectoral approaches are indispensable.

                   7) Development cooperation is essential but should go beyond ODA and encompass facilitating more intra- and inter-regional trade, building regional infrastructure, facilitating mutually beneficial flows of labour, technology transfer, and promoting regional flow of investments.

                   8) Regional economic cooperation and integration, with special support measures for LDCs, LLDs and SIDS, should be a critical element in South-South cooperation towards sustainable development. The private sector should be actively engaged in all efforts. Also essential was the shift of consumption patterns and production structures towards a more sustainable path of development.