Singh leads Asia at Bandung meet, calls for UN reforms

The New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP), aimed at boosting economic and political relations and countering threats of globalisation, was signed by 106 countries from the two regions after their two-day summit marking the 50th anniversary of the Bandung conference that led to the birth of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

India being given the honour to represent Asia, even though leaders from countries like China and Japan were also present, is seen with considerable importance since New Delhi is a candidate for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council.

Addressing the golden jubilee of the Bandung Asia-Africa conference here after taking a symbolic walk along with other world leaders to commemorate the historic event and the signing ceremony, Singh said the global trading system should be made more sensitive to the needs and aspirations of poorer countries.

He asked the Asian and African countries to "ensure that the architecture of international institutions is democratised and made more representative."

"This restructuring should include the United Nations and its specialised agencies and the international financial institutions," Singh said.

"In the context of the present global challenges, the NAM remains a valid and effective instrument to ensure the creation of a more just and fair global order," he said.

The NAASP declaration aims to ensure peace, stability and security in the two continents besides boosting trade and stepping up cooperation in war against terrorism and trans-national organised crimes.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and South African leader Thabo Mbeki inked the four-page declaration on the NAASP in this historic town where the countries from the two continents got together for the first time in 1955 and subsequently created the NAM.

Through the strategic partnership "we will pool together the vast resources and the tremendous creative energies of Asia and Africa to solve some of the most persistent problems of development," Yudhoyono said at the signing ceremony.

Singh also spoke about "lacunae" in governance process in some Asian and African nations and favoured its modernisation to make it suitable to the needs of the current times.

In the declaration, the leaders said: "We are determined to prevent conflict and resolve disputes by peaceful means and endeavour to explore innovative mechanisms for confidence building and dispute resolution as well as for post-conflict peace building."

Singh also spoke about "lacunae" in governance process in some Asian and African nations and favoured its modernisation to make it suitable to the needs of the current times.

Singh remarked that he and other leaders had literally followed 50-year-old footsteps to the building where the historic conference was held and in which then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru played a leading role.