SHS/2017/PI/H/9
Outcome Document
of the 1st MOST Forum of Ministers
of Social Development for the Asia-Pacific region
22 and 23 March 2017, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
We, the Ministers responsible for social development and related portfolios, or their
representatives, gathered in Kuala Lumpur, on 22 and 23 March 2017, for the 1st
Forum of Ministers of Social Development for Asia-Pacific, organized in the
framework of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
Committed to achieving the 2030 Agenda, with all its Sustainable Development
Goals, and to leaving no one behind;
Giving high importance also to other development agendas contributing to building
inclusive societies, in particular the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action
adopted at the World Summit for Social Development, the Madrid International Plan
of Action on Ageing, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as
their review processes;
Commending the Government of Malaysia and UNESCO for their initiative in coorganizing this Forum on “Building Inclusive Societies”, providing participants with a
unique opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and policies, and to reflect on
challenges, research gaps and policy solutions in these areas;
Appreciating the valuable participation of UNESCAP, UNDESA, other UN entities,
and individual researchers and other stakeholders, including senior officials and nongovernmental organizations, which has enriched the Forum’s discussions and
outcome;
Wishing to contribute to the evolving MOST Action Plan for the implementation of the
comprehensive MOST Strategy, as adopted by the MOST Intergovernmental Council
at its 13th Ordinary Session, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 16-17 March 2017;
Convinced that well-informed and evidence-based policies can facilitate Member
States’ action to build inclusive societies in the face of challenges such as social
exclusion, poverty, inequalities, unemployment, and unequal opportunities especially
for women, children, youth, the elderly, indigenous communities and persons with
disabilities;
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Committed therefore to the adoption and effective implementation of innovative
rights-based, inclusive and evidence-informed policies based on multistakeholder
dialogue and responding in particular to the special needs of vulnerable populations;
Recognizing the challenges of ageing populations in Asia-Pacific, with the
accompanying issues of life-long learning, social security, health services, family care
and civic participation, which underline the importance of the third regional review of
the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing;
Deeply concerned at the specific vulnerability of women and girls, and recognizing
UNESCO’s commitment to gender equality as a global priority within the efforts of the
United Nations system as a whole;
Hereby undertake to bring to the attention of our respective governments the
indicative follow-up statements and actions hereunder for their consideration,
within the limits of each State’s national legislation, policies and programmes:
1.
Welcome the proposal by UNESCO to implement within its programmes,
starting in January 2018, a regional policy-oriented research project on “Building
inclusive societies for older women”, designed to strengthen the evidence base
for policy-making through cooperative action. The project will be developed in
consultation with designated government officials from ministries with
responsibilities for the social development portfolio, MOST National
Committees, UNESCO National Commissions, and research institutions and
relevant stakeholders in Asia-Pacific.
2.
Affirm the importance of support for national and regional research within
MOST, in collaboration with universities, research institutions and individual
researchers, in order to fill research gaps and ensure that public policies are
informed by knowledge, and commit to considering the possibility of such
support through national research policies.
3.
Commend Malaysia for its initiative in proposing the organization of a national
MOST School on inclusive societies, in cooperation with the MOST secretariat,
in order to enhance national capacities through knowledge brokering initiatives
aimed at strengthening evidence-informed policy-making.
4.
Encourage the National Commissions for UNESCO of each Member State from
Asia-Pacific, with the technical support of the MOST secretariat, to establish a
MOST National Committee, where one does not already exist, in order to
strengthen national institutional capacities and offer a platform to support followup of recommendations arising from this Forum.
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5.
Encourage Member States to contribute to the visibility of this Forum and the
dissemination of its outcomes including through national media as well as
relevant high-level regional meetings such as those organized at ministerial
level by ASEAN and at intergovernmental level by ESCAP (Bangkok,
September 2017) to review regional implementation of the Madrid International
Plan of Action on Ageing.
6.
Encourage UNESCO to work towards the joint organization of a MOST,
UNDESA and UNESCAP side-event during the Commission for Social
Development in 2018, presenting the outcome of this Forum and other relevant
regional meetings.
7.
Welcome UNESCO’s initiative to establish the Inclusive Policy Lab as a means
of providing scientific advice and improving the capacity of policy-makers to
deliver under Agenda 2030, and undertake (a) to explore the possibility of
supporting it through national projects in selected thematic areas, as Malaysia
has already done, and (b) to draw attention in relevant settings to opportunities
for additional support by mobilization of bilateral and multilateral development
funding.
8.
Encourage Member States to consider convening a 2nd MOST Ministerial Forum
in the Asia-Pacific region.
9.
Request the MOST Secretariat to undertake measures in due course to favour
implementation of such commitments as governments may adopt, including
technical support for mobilization of appropriate resources and annual review of
outcomes.
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