TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo, as host of a series of summit events for the 60th anniversary of the Asian African Conference, officially opened the Asian African Leaders' Summit this morning at the Jakarta Convention Centre. He is recalling the events of the first conference sixty years ago and remarking that the challenges and struggle faced by the Asian and the African nations are not yet resolved. Under the banner of, “Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity,” President Joko Widodo drew the focus of those present to the plight of Palestine and the need for a new collective economic structure to support the struggle for stability and equality throughout the two continents. The Leaders and Delegates aim to share experience, strengthen partnerships and discuss strategies to overcome common challenges and boost economic development in both continents through stronger South-South cooperation.
The Asian-African Conference Commemoration events have so far included the AASOM on the 19th of April, followed by the AAMM on the 20th of April and a business summit yesterday, the 21st of April 2015. The Asian African Leaders Meeting, the peak of the conference, take place on the 22nd and the 23rd of April 2015 at the Jakarta Convention Centre. On the 24th of April, all participants will adjourn to Bandung to reenact the historic ceremony first attended by the leaders and participating delegates of Asian and African countries sixty years ago, namely the Bandung Walk. Dignitaries and delegates comes from 105 Asian and African countries, 15 observer countries and 17 international organizations.
This 2015 also marked the 10th year since the creation of the New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP), launched by the Heads of State and Governments, and it will be an exciting challenge to keep the momentum alive as the world has witnessed the emergence of these new nations into major roles in the field of international politics. NAASP heralded a new era of intra-regional bridge-building supported by the three pillars of political solidarity, economic co-operation and socio-cultural relations. The NAASP remains an important forum for co-operation among countries in the two continents to tackle contemporary issues.
This sixtieth-year commemoration will culminate in the anniversary of the original Asian African Conference, which was held in Bandung on 24th April 1955. This year’s summit is expected to conclude with three outcomes: the Bandung Message; the reinvigoration of the NAASP and the declaration on Asian and African nations’ support for Palestine.
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