JOINT STATEMENT OF THE FIRST EAST ASIA SUMMIT EDUCATION MINISTERS MEETING (1st EAS EMM)

“STRENGTHENING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION AND HUMANITY”

Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 5 July 2012

1. The First East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (1st EAS EMM) was convened on 5 July 2012 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Meeting was preceded by the 1st EAS Senior Officials Meeting on Education (1st EAS SOM‐ED) held on 3 July and the 7th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (7th ASED) and 1st ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (1st APT EMM) held on 4 July 2012.

2. The Meeting was chaired by His Excellency Prof. Mohammad Nuh, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, and was attended by the Education Ministers or their Representatives from ASEAN Member States, Australia, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States of America, as well as the ASEAN Secretariat.

3. The Ministers warmly welcomed the establishment of EAS EMM to strengthen EAS efforts to advance its common endeavors in education.

4. The Ministers recalled the 2005 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the East Asia Summit to establish the East Asia Summit as an open, inclusive, transparent and outward looking forum for dialogue on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia; to promote community building in the region that will be consistent with and reinforce the realisation of the ASEAN Community; and to strengthen global norms and universally recognised values with ASEAN as the driving force, working in partnership with the other participants of the East Asia Summit.

5. The Ministers also recalled the Leaders statements at the 2nd EAS in Cebu, Philippines in 2007, the 5th EAS in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, in 2010, and the 6th EAS in Bali, Indonesia in 2011, which underscored the importance of education, and agreed to enhance quality and adaptability of education through, inter alia, promotion of education exchange, networking and innovation and welcomed cooperation among EAS participating countries on education and training initiatives which contribute to advancing ASEAN’s integration goals and improving the lives of its people.

6. Having regard to the Declaration of the East Asia Summit on the Principles for Mutually Beneficial Relations adopted at the 6th EAS in Bali, Indonesia in 2011, the

Ministers agreed to focus education cooperation on the enhancement of mutually beneficial cooperation in the EAS and with other regional fora. The Ministers further

agreed, consistent with the Declaration of the 6th East Asia Summit on ASEAN Connectivity, on the need for education cooperation to promote greater engagement and cooperation in people‐to‐people connectivity initiatives, including those relating to education and life‐long learning, human resource development, innovation and entrepreneurship, cultural exchanges, and tourism.

7. The Ministers recalled their commitment at the Informal EAS EMM of 2011 to prioritize education quality improvement in their future cooperation and reiterated the pivotal role of education, not only in promoting human resources development, but also as a means for bridging development gaps, enhancing regional competitiveness, achieving sustained economic development, and promoting friendship and mutual understanding among people in the region. The Ministers used the meeting as a forum to share views and experiences, as well as to discuss future education cooperation between EAS participating countries.

8. The Meeting welcomed the report by His Excellency Prof. Mohammad Nuh, Minister of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia on the implementation of the projects recommended by the Education Cooperation Task Force (ECTF) to foster closer education cooperation among the EAS participating countries.

9. The Ministers welcomed the success and achievements of the UNESCO conference hosted by Japan in November 2011 to adopt the revised UNESCO Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific. This conference followed the EAS education cooperation project led by Australia in 2011 to promote awareness and understanding of the revised UNESCO Convention. The conference viewed the revision and adoption of the revised convention as a major step towards improved qualifications recognition arrangements in the Asia‐Pacific. The conference also called upon parties and donors to work together to strengthen national information centres in support of that Convention.

10. The Ministers welcomed with appreciation the progress of Australia’s project to develop a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) and noted that a TVET QAF has been developed in consultation with many EAS participating countries and was now moving to in‐country workshops in five EAS countries to identify capacity building needs. The Ministers noted the great need for capacity building of TVET systems in EAS participating countries as well as continuing inter‐country dialogue and information sharing on skills recognition systems and qualifications frameworks, to ensure the benefits of a regional framework were achieved. The Ministers noted that Australia would shortly commence its feasibility study on a regional facility for education quality assessment.

11. The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of promoting and assuring high quality student exchange as well as university exchange in higher education among EAS participating countries. In this regard, the Ministers welcomed Japan’s initiative to promote cooperation among EAS universities and appreciated the successful holding of the “International Symposium on Exchange among Universities with Quality Assurance in East Asia Region” hosted by Japan in September 2011.

12. The Ministers noted the progress in India’s initiative to establish Nalanda University in collaboration with EAS participating countries. The Ministers further noted that the university will shortly commence academic activities in the Schools of Historical Studies and Ecology and Environment. The Ministers also welcomed gracious commitment and financial support made by the governments of Australia, China, Lao PDR and Thailand as well as other independent donors.

13. In order to provide direction and momentum to education cooperation and promote a more comprehensive cooperation based on the principle of unity in diversity the

Ministers adopted the EAS Education Action Plan (2011‐2015) developed by the 1st EAS SOM‐ED and urged participating countries to support the education cooperation projects identified under the Action Plan or otherwise in support of strengthening education systems, building a community based on mutual understanding and supporting connectivity through the elimination of barriers to the mobility of students, academic and education providers within the EAS in order to expand educational benefits and opportunities.

14. The Ministers welcomed the commitment by several EAS participating countries to lead and to collaborate in the implementation of specific projects on a voluntary basis.

15. The Ministers welcomed additional commitments made by Australia and Korea to work together in relation to developing a network of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) providers in consultation with EAS participating countries.

16. The Ministers recognised the positive contribution made in promoting EAS Education Cooperation by Australia and Japan in relation to building capacity in quality assurance in higher education.

17. The Ministers acknowledged the importance of mechanisms to facilitate regional cooperation, and encouraged discussions and policy dialogues among officials, experts, education providers and industry. The Ministers also expressed their hope that the outcomes of this cooperation would not be limited to projects, but also at the senior policy‐making level, for more effective use of sharing of knowledge, experience and best practices among the EAS participating countries.

18. Reaffirming their strong commitment to strengthen regional cooperation on education by convening the EAS Education Ministers Meeting (EMM) on a biennial basis, in conjunction with ASED and ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers’ Meetings, the Ministers agreed on the Terms of Reference of the EAS EMM which provide for effective coordination with relevant regional and international organizations including the ASEAN University Network and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation.

19. The Ministers welcomed the advice of the Minister for Education and Sports of the Lao PDR that the 2nd EAS EMM will be held in July 2014.

20. The Ministers agreed to report the outcomes of the 1st EAS EMM to the 7th East Asia Summit which will be held in Cambodia, in November 2012.

21. The Ministers expressed their appreciation to Indonesia for the warm hospitality extended to the delegates and the excellent arrangements made in hosting the 1st

EAS EMM. The Ministers also expressed their appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat for its valuable contributions to the meeting.