Makassar Declaration

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We, Mayors from ASEAN member countries, participating in the ASEAN Mayors Forum and City Expo 2015 with the theme “Adaptive and Intelligent Cities for an Integrated Borderless Prosperous Region”, jointly organized by UCLG ASPAC, Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN, and the City of Makassar, have gathered from 8 to 10 September in the City of Makassar, South Sulawesi Province, Republic of Indonesia; 

AFFIRMING that local governments play an important role in ASEAN, and particularly in building a stronger ASEAN Community, ensuring the implementation of the strategies under the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, beyond its constitution in December 2015;

DETERMINED to achieve the advantages and benefits that the ASEAN Community envisions and aims to bring to the ASEAN people, in spite of the challenges and impact for local governments;

EXPRESSING our strong belief that aligning our local development strategies with the developments of ASEAN will bring economic dynamism, government efficiency, and positive social, cultural, and environmental change;

REALIZING that local governments need to meet the standards of ASEAN, not only for the Economic community, but to include the pillars of Political Security by highlighting good governance, upholding of human rights, strengthening cooperation on key political issues; and focusing on Socio-Cultural issues focusing on human development, women, youth and children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, indigenous people for better social justice and environmental sustainability, as enshrined in the ASEAN Community Blueprint.

RECOGNIZING that local governments vision as part of ASEAN include four key elements:

• People-empowerment – Cross cultural communication and exchange, highlighting the importance of youth as the future of ASEAN at the grassroots level to work for development are invaluable for the ASEAN Community to succeed and prosper, accompanied by decentralization and autonomy.
• Integrated and inclusive approach – Local governments deal with a multitude of issues that require an integrated approach. Critical thematic areas for ASEAN demanding attention and urgent actions include the climate change, local economic development, tourism, poverty reduction, education for all, health and gender mainstreaming.
• Responsive and Forward-looking – Local governments continuously strive to become intelligent and adaptive in response to challenges. To succeed, the promotion of good governance and the strengthening of financial options for plans to materialise are fundamental.
• Heritage Preservation – The ASEAN Community should not lose sight of its heritage and preserving it should always be part of our identity.

URGING ASEAN to reach local governments, to asses their needs and to support the necessary actions to achieve solutions for the region common problems. 

DO HEREBY:

1. LOBBY for a stronger ASEAN Secretariat dealing with the local government issues, creating an specific Unit to coordinate the regional action;
2. URGE central governments to provide the enabling environment (legal, administrative, and financial) necessary for local governments, private sector, civil society organisations, and citizens to carry out their responsibilities and to maximize their role, reinforcing the necessary background for an empowered society.
3. BRING the central governments to support local governments and citizens for their active participation in achieving the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 11 “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”, as well as in formulating the New Urban Agenda with the occasion of Habitat III and its preparatory process.
4. APPEAL to relevant agencies to perform the necessary steps to undertake the following actions:
5. Raise awareness and educate people about ASEAN through different modalities and channels, including academic curricula, cultural exchange programs, social media, etc. Creating an ASEAN University for educating the ASEAN community and promote knowledge and sharing of expertise, bringing the people of the ASEAN member states closer together.
6. Organize an annual ASEAN mayors meeting prior to the ASEAN Summit to deliver the recommendations of local governments to the Heads of State and Government. Also, to create an ASEAN Mayors organization, spearheaded by UCLG ASPAC and its secretariat to support its operations.
7. Establish or formalize a platform, such as DELGOSEA to promote the sharing of experiences and good/best/smart practices, including prospects for replication, knowledge enhancement, skills development and capacity building.
8. Explore financial options, accessible to local governments, such the establishment an ASEAN bank or the mobilization of domestic and international resources to address the perennial challenge suffered by many local governments lacking financial resources for sustainable development.

Overall, we agree to focus on the opportunities the ASEAN Community presents to us all, and to turn challenges into opportunities able to transform the ASEAN society.

We commend this Declaration to be an integral part of the ASEAN Foundational Charter.

SIGNED this 9^th day of September 2015.

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