Economic Leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) adopted a Busan Declaration before they conclude their two-day meeting Saturday in Busan, emphasizing free trade, human security and its future progress.

Under the APEC 2005 theme, "Towards One Community: Meet the Challenge, Make the Change," the Economic Leaders' Meeting advanced their common vision of achieving stability, security and prosperity for their peoples, the declaration said.

The leaders reiterated the importance of the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific, and pledged to work towards this with the Busan Roadmap.

With this renewed commitment, this year, they dedicated themselves to ensure a transparent and secure business environment in this region in order to lay a stepping stone towards their vision, it said.

They also confronted the challenges and exerted their utmost efforts to bridge the various gaps and differences existing in the region, the declaration said.

As a result, APEC, as the single forum encompassing the Asia- Pacific region, has not only kept its past pledges but also has succeeded in presenting the future direction that APEC should be heading towards, it said.

On free trade, the declaration said, to respond to new challenges that emerged from the evolving international trade environment and to reach the Bogor Goals by the declared timelines, the Economic Leaders endorsed the Busan Roadmap to the Bogor Goals composed of:

-- Support for the Multilateral Trading System;

-- Strengthening Collective and Individual Actions;

-- Promotion of High-Quality Regional Trade Agreements and Free Trade Agreements (RTAs/FTAs);

-- Busan Business Agenda;

-- A Strategic Approach to Capacity Building; and

-- The Pathfinder Approach.

On human security, the declaration condemned terrorist acts in the region that took thousands of lives and aimed to destabilize economic prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

It encouraged implementation of APEC counter-terrorism, secure trade and safe travel commitments.

The Economic Leaders recalled the horrific regional natural disasters of the past year and conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families. They committed to protecting their economies by taking action to lessen the impact from future disasters and improve their collective response capability.

They endorsed the APEC Initiative on Preparing for and Mitigating an Influenza Pandemic, which commits the region's economies to effective surveillance, transparency and openness, and close domestic, regional and international coordination and collaboration.

They agreed to intensify regional cooperation to deny a safe haven to officials and individuals guilty of corruption.

On future progress, the declaration said the Economic Leaders acknowledged the importance of ensuring that all of their citizens have the opportunity to share the benefits generated by trade liberalization and economic growth.

They recognized the significant contributions that women have made to the economic development of the region and committed to ensuring the integration of gender in the activities across all APEC fora.

They highlighted the importance of innovation and sharing advanced technologies among members in the years to come.

They welcomed the concrete outcomes of APEC Reform efforts taken this year in making APEC more efficient and result-oriented.

Source: Xinhua