The 10th Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21
Adoption of the Seoul Declaration and Meeting Overview

October 11, 2011
Headquarters of the Governor of Tokyo

Held over three days in Seoul, the 10th Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 was brought to a close with the signing of the Seoul Declaration. The highlights and accomplishments of the Meeting are as follows:

[Date]

October 9-11, 2011

[Participating Cities]

Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Yangon,
Tomsk (observer)

[Overview of the Proceedings]

Aiming to share its disaster management experience and knowhow with the other participating cities, Tokyo gave two presentations during the Special Report session: "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Responses Following the Great East Japan Earthquake" and "Tokyo's New Earthquake Resistance Measures – Seismic Retrofitting Can Help Secure Emergency Transportation Roads During Times of Crisis."
In order to effectively utilize the results of this year's Plenary Meeting, participating cities agreed to continue to undertake collaborative studies on disaster management measures within the framework of their existing joint projects, including the Network for Crisis Management.
An agreement was reached to hold the 11th Plenary Meeting in Singapore at an appropriate date in 2012.

ASIAN NETWORK OF MAJOR CITIES 21 (ANMC21) Seoul Declaration

We, the representatives from Bangkok, Hanoi, Metro Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo participated in the 10th Plenary Meeting of ANMC21, held in Seoul from October 10 to 11, 2011. We have had open and friendly discussions on the joint projects of the ANMC21 and common issues and challenges confronting cities.

We express our sincere gratitude to the City of Seoul which has successfully led this auspicious 10th Plenary Meeting as the Host City.

Upon the closing of this Meeting, through collective and common understanding reached by our discussions thus far, we hereby declare the following:

1. In the decade since the establishment of the ANMC21 in 2001, the Network has made steady accomplishments in a diversity of fields including the promotion of development of a small to medium-sized jet passenger plane, crisis management, measures against pandemic epidemic diseases, tourism campaigns and cultural and sports exchange. We reaffirm our commitment to achieve ANMC21 objectives of promoting greater solidarity and cooperation among major cities in Asia to create a quality living environment that ensures and maximizes happiness of the residents of Asia.
2. As can be understood from development initiatives such as the Han River Renaissance Project in Seoul, we agree that throughout human history, rivers not only play diverse economic roles in driving the development of large cities, but also contribute to enhancing the quality of life of cities. Therefore, we shall share our knowhow, technology and experience in waterfront development to ensure efficient and effective policy making.
3. Regarding large-scale disasters, massive earthquakes and tsunamis, major typhoons, and torrential rains pose a common threat to major Asian cities. We acknowledge that policies to make our cities safe are crucial for sustainable development. Therefore, we shall share our knowhow, technology and experience to prepare and ensure prompt response to disasters and effective recovery efforts to minimize injury, death and property damage and to swiftly regain city functions. Based on this sharing, we shall undertake studies on more effective measures within the framework of our existing joint projects.
4. The 11th Plenary Meeting will be held in Singapore at an appropriate date in 2012.