East Asia Summit decides to accelerate efforts to implement 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

Jakarta [Indonesia], September 7 (ANI): East Asia Summit leaders have decided to strengthen partnerships and potential cross-sectoral collaborations to accelerate efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 
In the joint statement, East Asia Summit Leaders said that they have decided to strengthen cooperation and partnership to ensure that the region remains relevant and competitive. 
East Asia Summit Leaders in the statement said, "In support of maintaining and promoting the region as an epicentrum of growth, we hereby decide to strengthen cooperation and partnership to ensure that the region remains relevant, competitive, inclusive, forward-looking, resilient, adaptive, and responsive to future regional and global challenges in support of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on ASEAN as an Epicentrum of Growth and the implementation of the East Asia Summit (EAS) Plan of Action (2024-2028)." 
East Asia Leaders in the statement said that they have decided to "Strengthen partnerships and potential cross-sectoral collaborations to accelerate efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
East Asia Summit leaders have decided to advance regional maritime cooperation through ASEAN-led mechanisms and promote the sustainable use and management of marine resources. 
East Asia Summit leaders in the statement said, we hereby decide to "advance regional maritime cooperation through ASEAN-led mechanisms by, among others, promoting the sustainable use and management of marine resources and protection and conservation of marine environment, biodiversity, and ecosystems; increasing efforts to develop maritime connectivity in line with and in support of the vision and goals of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity; Search and Rescue (SAR) operations; Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR); ASEAN’s development of the Blue Economy; addressing and combating the adverse impacts of pollution, ocean acidification, marine debris, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy, and armed robbery against ships."
East Asia Summit Leaders have decided to promote peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight, other internationally lawful uses of the seas and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce, the exercise of self-restraint, the non-use of force or the threat to use force against another state consistent with the UN Charter, mutual trust and confidence, as well as peaceful resolution of disputes according to the universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and relevant instruments and conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the relevant standards and recommended practices by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 
The leaders have decided to reinforce connectivity within and beyond the region, including through the enhancement of regional energy interconnectivity, security, resilience as well as supporting the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025. 
East Asia Summit leaders have decided to support social welfare and development by strengthening social protection for everyone, particularly those in vulnerable situations. They also decided to enhance cultural cooperation to strengthen the promotion and development of
the region’s creative industries and its vital contribution to economic growth.
In the joint statement, the leaders have agreed to explore the possibilities of joint actions to facilitate the recovery of tourism-related industries, including by improving infrastructure, advancing the digital transformation of tourism, and developing innovative tourism and tourism-related products including cultural tourism. 
East Asia Summit leaders have decided to cooperate counter-terrorism and transnational crime to address current and future threats in a comprehensive manner, including through enhancing capacity to respond to such threats and use of new and evolving technologies to enhance this effort. 
The joint statement of the East Asia Summit leaders agreed on promoting cooperation on environmental management to meet the socioeconomic and cultural needs of present and future generations and contribute positively to sustainable development. 
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 18th East Asia Summit and reiterated the importance of the EAS mechanism and reaffirmed support to further strengthen it.
Prime Minister underlined India’s support for ASEAN centrality and called for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister highlighted synergies of visions for Indo-Pacific between India and ASEAN and underscored that ASEAN is the focal point of Quad’s vision. (ANI)