APEC leaders on Sunday called for a comprehensive manner through international cooperation to address climate change.

They made the appeal in a declaration issued after the two-day 16th Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the Peruvian capital. "We reaffirmed our commitment to the Sydney APEC Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development," they said, noting reducing poverty is likely to become more difficult in those developing economies most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change and related natural disasters.

"We support decisive and effective long term cooperation now, up to and beyond 2012 to address climate change under the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change ), in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities."

They also recognized the economic diversity and different domestic circumstances of individual APEC economies in addressing climate change.

They welcomed the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Network for sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, and voiced their appreciation towards China's commitment to further financial support for this initiative.

Recognizing that climate change could impede economies' abilities to achieve sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty, the leaders said they strongly supported international cooperation and capacity building for mitigation and adaptation as objectives that should be equally pursued, including those that promote low-emissions technology development and transfer to, and financial support for, developing economies.

They also called for additional and coordinated efforts to better understand vulnerabilities caused by the impact of climate change on the oceans and the resources to help develop more effective adaptation strategies. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the energy needs of regional economies by promoting open energy markets and free energy trade and investment. "Such markets are crucial to the development of renewable sources of energy and the dissemination of low emission energy technologies, including new and alternative energy resources and technologies," they said.

The APEC leaders said they encouraged officials to promote such development and urged them to pursue regional energy efficiencies and maximize the potential development of clean energy technology.

Nineteen leaders from the APEC member economies attended the two-day summit, part of the APEC Leaders' Week in Lima on November 16-23.

Established in 1989, APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2008)