Mancham among signatories to Makassar Declaration |24 May 2013

The conference saw the re-election of Indonesia’s former vice-president, Yusuf Kalla, as President of CAPDI and the election of a governing council under the chairmanship of the Honourable José de Venecia, former Speaker of the Philippino Parliament, who was enthusiastically supported by the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen and former Philippines President, Fidel Ramos.

Mr Mancham was also re-elected for four years as a vice-president and member of the governing council of CAPDI.

The Makassar Declaration is divided into seven fields – ideology, politics, economy, environment, social, education & culture, defense and security. The focus, however, is on conflict resolutions through peaceful means and reconciliation – as well as anticipating the impact of climate change which is considered a threat that can create conflict in the future.

CAPDI said that peace, stability and prosperity depended on a conducive regional environment. In this context, the organisation was calling on all parties to be involved and solve tensions in the Korean peninsula, the South China Sea, the Middle-East and Southern Thailand, as well as the ethnic conflict in Myanmar.

There are three cities that are touted to host the next conference of CAPDI. They are Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi and Tokyo.
Following his stay in Makassar, Indonesia, Mr Mancham is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa to join the heads of state and ministers who will be taking part in the 50th anniversary of the African Union (AU) before returning to Seychelles next Wednesday.