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SEOUL Declaration: 18th General Assembly of APPCED

Highlighting the importance of interaction between environment protection, population dynamics, and development.

"UN-SDGs and International Development"

10-12 November 2016, Seoul, Republic of Korea

 

We, the Participating Parliamentarians at the 18th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development (APPCED),

Welcoming the opportunity to meet and discuss at the 18th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development,

Emphasising the importance of Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development, and their shared commitment to work together and contribute to sustainable development at the Asia-Pacific, as well as international and sub-regional levels,

Recalling the outcomes and decisions of the 17th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development,Terhan, 2015

Highlighting the importance of interaction between environment protection, population dynamics, development and the objectives of Asia Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development,

Emphasising the links between climate change, natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies, and the importance of ensuring that countries have developed resilience, adequately funded, and prepared for such emergencies, with special attention to children and women, through the implementation of programmes of essential lifesaving services such as the Minimum Initial Service Package and other health care interventions,

Recognizing that climate change could increase the risk of hunger and malnutrition by up to 20 percent by 2050, and could reduce potential agricultural output by up to 21 percent in Asia,

Embracing the outcomes of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030) and the World Humanitarian Summit (Commitments to Action of the World Humanitarian Summit 2016), and recognising the urgent need to prioritise and implement the actions agreed upon,

Recognising that human interference and exploitation in the climate system is occurring and poses a risk for human development and the natural world,

Further recognising that these climate change risks interact with population and development, and that shared solutions need to be found,

Understanding that climate change, environmental degradation and humanitarian emergencies affect men and women differently, and girls and boys and all responses, policies and programmes must take a gendered approach and recognise the different needs and vulnerabilities of women and men, and girls and boys,

Recognising the recent Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2016, New Delhi Declaration, which encourages meaningful participation and representation of women in leadership roles for disaster risk reduction,

Concerned that it is the poorest and most vulnerable populations that are most affected by climate change and environmental degradation, and that face the greatest barriers in accessing essential health services including sexual and reproductive health services,

Expressing concern over deliberate man-made environmental degradation and health impacts if widespread distruction of vital infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region and other parts of the world, particularly in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Palestine,

Reiterating the urgent need to integrate all economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development so as to achieve and ensure sustainability,

Welcoming the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable environmental, economic and social development through an integrated framework,

Warmly welcoming the commitment of the Member States of the United Nations, who all supported and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and agreed to implement its goals and targets in their own contexts,

Affirming that the 2030 Agenda is ambitious and realistic, and with the support of Member States, Parliamentarians, United Nations Agencies, Civil Society Organisations, Private Sector, Academics, Leaders, the International Red Cross and other actors, and that it can be achieved,

Noting that the 2030 Agenda is guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights treaties, the Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, and reaffirms the outcomes of all major UN conferences and summits. It is influenced by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Platform for Action; and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio+ 20").These agreements have laid a solid foundation for sustainable development and have helped to shape the new Agenda,

Noting further that the 2030 Agenda is universal, indivisible and applicable to both developed and developing countries alike, and takes into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development,

Acknowledging that the achievement of the 2030 Agenda will not be possible without understanding and addressing gender inequality, and ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable are taken into account in planning and programming,

Ensuring that the needs of children in the most vulnerable contexts are taken into account in planning and programming,

Ensuring the participation of this, the largest ever generation of young people, in implementing the 2030 Agenda for the next generation,

Realizing that all countries have common but differentiated responsibilities to cooperate in a spirit of collective partnership to preserve and protect the environment and reaffirming that the right to development of all countries must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet the development and environmental needs of the present and future generations, and noting that countries should deliver their common but differentiated responsibilities according to their national capacities and the needs of less developed and most vulnerable countries,

Recognizing the need for significant mobilization of financial resources and to facilitate technology transfer from multiple sources to the developing countries, to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda within the Asia-Pacific region,

Acknowledging further that Parliamentarians play a key role in acting as champions within parliaments, and encouraging their respective government bodies to facilitate partnerships in order to further protect the environment through coordinated policies and strategies, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.


 

The participants resolve to:

 

Invite the Member Parliaments and fellow legislators of the member countries to exchange experiences and best practices on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, especially those goals and targets most relevant to their remits,

Commit to acting urgently and decisively in responding to the negative impacts of environmental degradation, climate change, and unsustainable development activities so as to avoid their long-term negative consequences on development,

Ensure all efforts are taken to support and protect the communities most at risk to climate disasters, through improved climate forecasting, insurance, preparedness and resilience building measures,

Support our respective governments by working collaboratively to develop policies, programmes and laws, as required, to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at a national level, 

Resolve to work collaboratively with governments and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at a national level, regional and global level,

Promote regional and sub-regional cooperation through bilateral and multilateral arrangements to mobilize adequate resources and transfer of alternative technologies to the developing countries,

Work through and with regional and global multilateral agencies to encourage global corporation, sharing of ideas and innovation,

Raise awareness of the 2030 Agenda and the importance of taking urgent action on issues related to environmental protection, climate change and population dynamics.

Work together to develop, share and disseminate innovative and environmentally sound approaches and technological responses to support countries, especially the most vulnerable countries, and communities to adapt to and mitigate climate change, taking into account the different needs and experiences of women and men.

Support the integrated monitoring of progress on the 2030 Agenda across relevant government departments, and hold Select Committee discussions or investigations as appropriate,

Request the Member Parliaments to encourage sustainable development partnerships in their respective countries involving all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, media, civil society and community based organizations as well as academia, to support the implementation and oversight of the 2030 Agenda,

Request that Governments reach out proactively to parliamentarians and ensures that they are actively engaged in programmes and policies related to environmental protection, disaster risk reduction and the 2030 Agenda,

Request that multilateral organisaitons and the United Nations system takes steps to integrate parliamentarians into international  and regional fora and support thier participation through interparliamentary networks,

Call upon regional institutions, including the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), the South Asia Regional Cooperation (SARC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and other regional associations to enhance their collective efforts to support and to address issues related to environmental degradation and sustainable development and to contribute by mobilizing their resources, both technically and financially, towards promoting open and competitive regional green markets,


Ensure that the Member Parliaments play a role in holding their respective governments to account for implementing their commitments made under the 2030 agenda,

Call upon governments and parliaments represented at the General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development to incorporate sustainable development perspectives into their strategies, programmes, plans and their legislation, and in particular through gender sensitive budgeting processes to facilitate informed policy-making on sustainable development issues, with special attention to children and women,

Call upon Governments at the national and local levels to promote and support gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction actions including universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services and prevention and response to gender based violence.

Call upon Governments to ensure adequate funding for disaster risk reduction and environmental protection to ensure that the ambition set out in the 2030 Agenda is realised,

Resolve that the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development, in its annual meetings, will present an honorary award to its Member Parliaments with exemplary contribution to the promotion of an integrated approach to sustainable development at national and regional levels,

Welcome the decision made by the 18th Exectuvtive Board of the Asia Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development to hold the 19th Conference in Mongolia in 2018 and the 20th Conference in Iran in 2020,

Express its appreciation to the people, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Korea for the successful Conference and warm hospitality extended to the participants at the 18th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and Development., held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 10th - 12th November, 2016.

 

Adopted in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the 11st Day of November, 201

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