NEW ASIAN-AFRICAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

The NAASP is a vehicle promoting co-operation between the countries of Asia and Africa for their mutual benefit and is
intended to promote peace, prosperity and progress in the two regions. This partnership seeks to translate ideas into realities
and guide Asia and Africa toward a better future based on their collective self-reliance and the support of Asia and Africa's
development partners.

The differences in cultural, social and economic characteristics and development of Asian and African countries should be
considered a strength rather than a weakness of this partnership. Through this partnership countries involved can draw
lessons from each others' experiences in overcoming political, social, economic and development issues.

The strategic thrust of the partnership is to leverage the economic opportunities and benefits that such a partnership holds for
both Africa and Asia. Through this cooperation, the countries of Asia and Africa can draw lessons from each other's experiences
in overcoming common political, social, economic and development challenges, in order to deliver the five basic human needs to the
people of Asia and Africa, namely food, shelter, health, education and employment.

Both regions share common challenges and this partnership forms the basis of a pannel through which sub-regional organisations,
which have extensive experience in different areas, can communicate and compare their best practices on how to overcome these
difficulties. This partnership also serves to enhance and build on already existing initiatives and does not intend to duplicate existing
agendas and programmes in the regions.

All Asian and African countries as well as the regional and sub-regional initiatives found in the region form part of NAASP. The
NAASP serves as a forum for discussion and cooperation between regional and sub-regional initiatives in Africa and Asia and is
aimed at building on and promoting these initiatives. NAASP is a mechanism to emphasize the need to promote practical cooperation
between the two continents in areas such as trade, industry, investment, tourism, agriculture ext.

The New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) is an expression of political will to build a bridge between Asia and Africa to
provide momentum in achieving peace, prosperity and progress in these two regions. NAASP is based on the following principles and
ideals:

The Ten Principles of Bandung of the 1955 Asian-African Conference
Recognition of Diversity between and within the regions, including different social and economic systems and levels of development
Commitment to open dialogue, based on mutual respect and benefit
Promotion of non-exclusive cooperation by involving all stakeholders
Attainment of practical and sustainable cooperation based on comparative advantage, equal partnership, common ownership and vision, as well as a firm and shared conviction to address common challenges
Promotion of sustainable partnership by complementing and building upon existing regional/sub-regional initiatives in Asia and Africa
Promotion of just, democratic, transparent, accountable and harmonious society
Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development
Promotion of collective and unified efforts in multilateral fora.

The New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) focuses on practical, achievable and concrete areas where the initiative
can add value as a process in a pragmatic fashion. In this regard NAASP is focusing on three broad areas of co-operation:

Political Solidarity
Economic Cooperation
Socio-Cultural Relations

The projects and program under the NAASP are not limited to certain sectors of development or to participation by governments
only. It is envisaged that greater co-operation in these spheres would significantly enhance regional co-operation between the countries
of Asia and Africa. Furthermore, that co-operative frameworks emerging from NAASP will be aligned with NEPAD, the socio-eco-
nomic development framework of the African continent.

Political Solidarity (unity) Political solidarrity concerns the promotion of conditions essential for greater political cooperation and
confidence building,conducive to the attainment of peace and stability in both regions.

Economic Cooperation Economic cooperation between partners is essential in terms of competition within the globalized world, with
it'scompetitive advantages. The NAASP promotes and facilitates direct trade and investment between Asia and Africa and the positive
effects of this cooperation is experienced by citizens of the partner countries through poverty eradication, sustainable development,
trade liberalization ext.

Socio-Cultural Relations Socio-cultural relations concerns the fostering of greater people-to-people contacts so as to enrich civil society
and to promote good governance, as well as to ensure that cooperation development reaches the different levels of society in countries in
Asia and Africa. Enhancing the dialogue among civilizations, including interfaith dialogues, are also of great importance with view to prom-
oting peace and development through mutual understanding and tolerance among societies.

The New Asian African Strategic Partnership is co-chaired by countries representing both regions. The current Co-chairs of NAASP
are Indonesia and South Africa. The co-chairs are responsible for developing the institutionalized process of the partnership by con-
vening and facilitating the following meetings, as decided upon in the Declaration on the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership:

Summit of Heads of State/Government every four years
A Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers every two years
Sectoral Ministerial and other Technical Meetings when deemed necessary.
A Business Summit will be held in conjunction with the Summit of Heads of State/Government

The NAASP process is facilitated by a Virtual Secratariat, found on the NAASP website. This virtual secretariat enables easy
communication between member countries.

An Asia-Africa Conference (AAC) took place in Bandung, Indonesia from 18 to 24 April 1955. The AAC considered issues of
common interest and concern and discussed ways and means by which the peoples of the two continents could achieve fuller
economic, cultural and political co-operation. The leaders of Asia and Africa who participated in the AAC enubciated a vision
of the world order of independence, peace, justice and common prosperity. They crafted a new ethos to govern the relationship
between the nations which was called the Spirit of the Bandung Asian-African Conference of 1955 (the Bandung Spirit).

The Leaders at the ACC declared that nations should practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors,
which would effectively maintain and promote international peace and security, while cooperation in the economic, social and cultural
fields would help bring about the common prosperity and well being of all. This cooperation and partnership should be based in the
Ten Principles of Bandung, namely:

The principles and ideals that were set forth in Bandung by the AAC constituted the seeds of non-alignment. These took root and
institutional shape in Belgrade in 1964 in the form of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The Ten Principles of Bandung became
the inspiration of NAM, which in turn made the NAM the largest peace movement in history and a force of justive and co-operation
in a world beset by tensions and conbflict. For decades the NAM provided an alternative vision to the dangerous bipolar politics of
the Cold War.

49 years after the Conference, on the political fronts, countries in Asia and Africa have achieved significant advancements. Almost all
of Asian and African countries today are enjoying greater freedom and sovereignty. In the economic front, although some have enjoyed
greater prosperity, many of them are still lagging behind in economy, technology, science and knowledge.

In his capacity as then Chair of the African Union (AU), President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa was invited to address the Eighth
ASEAN Summit held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November 2002. This was the first occasion that a leader from outside ASEAN
was invited to address the Summit. During his address President Mbeki called Asean leaders to Co-operate with Africa on the New
Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the socio-economic development programme of the AU, and on matters of common
interest. The ASEAN leaders pledged support for NEPAD on matters of common interest, including a NEPAD/ASEAN Conference
and the possibility of meeting between the AU and ASEAN Secretariats.

In response to the call, President Megawati Soekarnoputri of Indonesia announced that Indonesai would host the first Asian-African
Sub-Regional Organisations Conference (AASROC) to coincide with the 48th Anniversary of the Aian-African Conference of 1955 as
a platform for Asia-Africa co-operation. President Mbeki welcomed the announcement and promised Africa's support for the initiative.

During January 2003, President Soekarnoputri sent a special envoy, ex Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, inviting South Africa to
co-host AASROC I in Indonesia and to host AASROC II in South Africa in 2004. The 2003 and 2004 AASROC Conferences would
prepare for the Summit level meeting of AASROC in 2005, to coincide with the commemoration of the Golden (50th) Jubilee of the
Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia.

This historic event, co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers of South Africa and Indonesia, was the first time ever that Sub-Regional
Organisations met to discuss matters of common interest. Delegates from 43 countries , 19 organisations and 28 invited observers
attended the conference, a first since the historic Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955.

In order to revive the spirit of co-operation between the two continents, AASROC I considered ways and means by which the peoples
of the two continents could achieve full economic, cultural and social cooperation, and address global challenges. AASROC I also
realized that inspite of the passing of decades, the relevance of the Spirit of Bandung has not diminished at all. They further believed
that the Spirit of Bandung is still relevant to answer the challenges faced by the two regions and to benefit from opportunities that are
offered by the new economic and political global circumstances.

The Conference adopted a Co-Chairs' Statement, which includes the agreed on principles for co-operation between Africa and Asia as
well as the first concrete steps towards forging a New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). Furthermore a Working Group
was established comprising of volunteering countries from Asia and Africa, as well as representatives from the sub-regional organisations.

The Conference discussed principles on which to develop a New Strategic Partnership, inter alia:

The AASROC Working Group meeting took place on 24 March 2004 in Durban, South Africa and was attended by the represen-
tatives of 19 countries and 10 organisations. This Working Group meeting was held according to the mandate of the AASROC I
Conference in preparation for the AASROC II Ministerial Conference. The meeting was co-chaired by the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs of South Africa and Indonesia and they adopted a Co-Chairs Progress Report. The Report has provided further clarity and
direction as to the envisaged nature of the NAASP and the steps to be pursued on the way forward.

The Meeting emphasized the pivotal role of the respective Regional and Sub-Regional Organisations (SRO). SROs should meet on
an annual basis to allow for an exchange of best practices in conjunction with key donors, project managers and investors. The AU
will serve as a coordinating focal point for the African Regional Economic Communities (REC's) in this process. Meanwhile the ASEAN
Secretariat and the SADC Secretariat will coordinate the organisation of the first Regional and Sub-Regional Organisations meeting

AASROC II was held in Durban on 20 August 2004, preceded by a Senior Officials Meeting on 19 August 2004. The Conference was
attended by delegates from 81 African and Asian countries and 5 regional and sub-regional organisations from both continents.
The Conference was also attended by the representatives of 10 invited observer countries and 6 observer organisations.

The Conference discussed the rationale for establishing a new bridge between Asia and Africa. The rationale is rooted in the current
reality and global challenges facing the two continents. Asian and African countries have made significant political advances, but have
not yet attained commensurate progress in the social and economic spheres. Therefore, the Conference concluded that the establishment
of a strategic partnership among countries of Africa and Asia is imperative in the context of the achievement of peace, prosperity and
progress in the African and Asian Region. The nations of both continents have to begin looking for ways to complement each others
strengths and weaknesses and develop workable political and economic programs and initiatives that can be introduced and implemented
in both regions.

The AASROC II Ministerial Conference confirmed the support for the outcomes of AASROC I, as reflected in the Co-Chairs' Statement
of 30 July 2003, and expressed satisfaction with the progress of the AASROC Ministerial Working Group, as reported to the Conference
in terms of the Co-Chairs' Progress Report of 24 March 2004.

The Conference focused on the following three topics during its deliberations:

The Conference confirmed three broad areas of cooperation, namely: political, economic, and social/ cultural cooperation. The Conference
noted the importance of issues of peace and stability and the notion of " culture of peace", which creates an enabling environment for
development and economic cooperation. The Conference also identified three tiers of Asian-African interaction i.e inter-Governmental
Forum, Sub-Regional Organisations and People to People interaction (business, academia, civil society)

At AASROC I, it was decided that the Asian-African Summit should be held in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of the 1955
Asian-African Conference in Bandung. The Asian- African Summit 2005 was convened on 21-22 April 2005 at the Jakarta Convention
Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Asian-African Conference of 1955 was held on 23 April
at the Gedung Merdeka, in Bandung, Indonesia. The theme of the Asian-African Summit 2005 was "Reinvigoration of the Bandung Spirit: Working towards a New Asian-African Strategic Partnership". The Summit adopted the NAASP with the intention to create a better future
for Asia and Africa based on their collective self-reliance and to ensure an enabling international environment for the benefit of the Asian
and African peoples.

Two documents were adopted at the Asia-Africa Summit, namely the Declaration on the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership and the
Joint Ministerial Statement on the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership Plan of Action. These documents express the objectives of
NAASP and give the broader outlines of how it will be implemented.