The International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (IAESCSI) is positioned to become a better platform on which member organizations can learn from each other and form bonds for strengthening their pragmatic cooperation. The association concluded its 10th meeting in Beijing on June 21 by adopting a declaration. The declaration calls on all members to embrace the concepts of "cooperation, development and harmony" underlined at the meeting as their common faith and mission.

The Beijing Declaration stresses that the pursuit of peace, development and cooperation is the call of the times. Multipolarization and economic globalization continue to deepen. Science and technology are making rapid headway. The world's productivity is improving remarkably. Regional, global and multilateral cooperation is flourishing. International relations are becoming increasingly democratic. And humankind is progressing at an unprecedented pace.

At the same time, the declaration notes that two pressing problems—peace and development—have yet to be resolved. Regional wars and conflicts arise from time to time, the gap between the North and the South has widened, and transnational problems such as environmental pollution, drug trafficking, trans-border crimes and serious infectious diseases have become ever more prominent. Enhancing international cooperation is a major trend today and an essential approach to realizing lasting peace and common prosperity, the declaration says.

The declaration also suggests that the challenges and threats confronting humankind should be resolved by viewing and promoting international cooperation from a strategic perspective, upholding multilateralism, safeguarding the authority of the United Nations, and making the most of the world body's role in fostering international cooperation in various fields. It says that in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, countries should abide by their international responsibilities, undertake their international obligations, resolve international disputes and conflicts peacefully and enhance all-around cooperation in both conventional and non-conventional security. The declaration also says that countries should jointly maintain regional and global security, promote economic and social progress, respect and protect human rights, ensure social rights and achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results.