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GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Fifty-sixth session EMERGING ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTS AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL: ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT (Item 7 (b) of the provisional agenda) PREPARATIONS FOR THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, 2000 Note by the secretariat
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ANNEXES 1. Regionwide ministerial conferences on environment and development have been organized by ESCAP every five years since 1985. The Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) joined ESCAP as partners in organizing these conferences in 1990 and 1995. 2. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, held at Bangkok from 22 to 28 November 1995, was the first regionwide conference to focus on environment and development after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992. The major objectives of the Ministerial Conference were to assess the changes in the state of the regional environment since June 1990, to promote the implementation of Agenda 21 and other outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and to build a consensus for sustainable development along the lines delineated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. 3. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific adopted the Ministerial Declaration on Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific and the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000 as instruments for achieving the goal of sustainable development in the region. The Ministerial Conference also recommended steps to implement the Regional Action Programme, including strengthening institutional frameworks and promoting capacity-building at the regional, subregional and national levels. 4. Despite national and international efforts, Asia continues to be one of the most polluted and environmentally degraded regions in the world, while the Pacific region faces the problem of diminishing natural resources and other sustainable development concerns. The range of problems is huge: from degradation of rural land to the pollution and congestion of urban areas. In addition, the Pacific islands face problems associated with the rise in sea level due to climate change. Although some of these environmental problems such as air and water pollution are local in nature, they have the potential to cross national and regional boundaries and a cooperative effort is therefore needed to address them. 5. The adoption of the Regional Action Programme, 1996-2000 was a major achievement. This regionwide commitment must continue to be supported to address both short-term and long-term environmental problems, as well as new and emerging issues that will become critical priorities in the new century. In order to make significant progress, the policies and institutions dealing with the environment need to be assessed. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 is an appropriate venue at which members and associate members can address these issues and strengthen cooperative efforts for the achievement of environmentally sound and sustainable development. 6. The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Development, at its second session in October 1999, endorsed the schedule of the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000, to be held from 31 August to 5 September 2000. It welcomed the meeting of the Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific, 2000 (ECO ASIA 2000) that will be held informally at ministerial level on 3 September 2000. It was stressed that the deliberations of ECO ASIA 2000 should reinforce the outcome of the Ministerial Conference. The Committee suggested that the ministerial declaration, as an important outcome of the Ministerial Conference, should be developed through wide-ranging consultations among the countries of the region so that it reflects vital regional environment and sustainable development issues and concerns. I. ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS 7. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 will be held at Kitakyushu, Japan from 31 August to 5 September 2000, in line with the decision of the Commission at its fifty-fifth session, held in 1999. The Ministerial Conference will bring together high-level decision makers on the environment to review past achievements and discuss the prospects and actions necessary for promoting environmentally sound and sustainable development in the twenty-first century. The Ministerial Conference will have the following objectives:
8. The Ministerial Conference will have three components: the Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials, to be held from 31 August to 2 September, ECO ASIA on 3 September, and the Ministerial Conference from 4 to 5 September. 9. Ministerial Conference participants are expected to be ministers and senior officials responsible for the environment, as well as for the planning and coordination of sustainable development, in ESCAP member and associate member governments. Representation is also expected from the private sector, the media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research and academic institutions, representatives from United Nations agencies and international and intergovernmental organizations, including subregional bodies, which deal with issues of environment and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. 10. Several associated events are being organized in conjunction with the Ministerial Conference. An NGO symposium, to be organized jointly by the Conference of Asian Foundations and Organizations and the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women, is tentatively scheduled for 1 and 2 September. A media symposium, to be organized by the Japanese Forum of Environmental Journalists, is also scheduled for 1 and 2 September. UNEP is organizing a youth caucus; other associated activities will include an eco-technology exhibition, an environmental photo exhibition, an exhibition of drawings by children of Asia, and a Global 500 network conference. 11. Environmentally sound and sustainable development depends to a large extent on popular participation, both in the decision-making process and in the implementation of programmes. The objective of the NGO symposium is to create an opportunity for NGO representatives from the region to discuss environment and development issues and their role in promoting public awareness and participation in environmentally sound and sustainable development. It is envisaged that linkages between NGOs will be strengthened and the exchange of information will be further promoted. The symposium will further promote the involvement of NGOs in the establishment and implementation of sustainable development programmes and policies being developed by governments, including their contribution to possible outcomes of the Ministerial Conference, such as the regional action programme for environmentally sound and sustainable development, 2001-2005. This will encourage their involvement in the implementation of the regional action programme. 12. ECO ASIA consists of high-level government officials, including ministers, experts from international organizations and private organizations and environment researchers in the region. The purpose of ECO ASIA is to promote long-term activities for environmental protection by governments and relevant organizations in the Asian and Pacific region towards the realization of sustainable development. The first ECO ASIA was held in 1991 and it has developed into an event held annually in different cities in Japan. In 1995, ECO ASIA was attended by senior government officials in advance of the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific. It was subsequently decided that ECO ASIA 2000 should be held in conjunction with the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000. The international workshop on the ECO ASIA long-term project, held at Shonan Village, Japan in February 2000, had considered submitting a paper on climate change, urban environment, forests, environmental education and governance to the Ministerial Conference. 13. Subregional preparatory meetings have been held in each of the subregions in Asia and the Pacific (Central Asia, North-East Asia, the Pacific, South Asia and South-East Asia) to obtain inputs from the governments in the respective subregions in advance of the Ministerial Conference. The schedule of preparatory activities for the Ministerial Conference is attached as annex I. 14. The provisional agendas of the Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials and the Ministerial Conference have been developed taking into consideration the comments of the co-sponsoring organizations and the endorsement of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Development at its second session. In particular, the agendas highlight the following subject areas: a review of the state of the environment and the sustainable development policies of countries of the region, and the implementation of the Regional Action Programme, 1996-2000; the critical environment and sustainable development issues of the region; and the linkages with wider international agendas, such as multilateral environmental agreements and the "Rio + 10" review of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development outcomes, through the adoption of a regional message for the attention of the global community. The draft provisional agendas are attached as annex II. 15. Background documents and issue papers have been prepared to supplement each of the agenda items and to facilitate deliberations at the Ministerial Conference, including the report on the state of the environment in Asia and the Pacific, 2000. The documents for the Ministerial Conference will cover the following topics:
A. Report on the state of the environment in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 and issue paper 16. The issue paper, to be read in conjunction with the report on the state of the environment in Asia and the Pacific, 2000, will provide comprehensive information on the present state and trends of the environment, responses to those trends and issues, and challenges for the twenty-first century. The purpose of the paper will be to facilitate a review of various efforts in attaining environment and sustainable development objectives and the identification of emerging medium- and long-term environment and sustainable development issues in order to promote commitment and action through the recommendations of the Ministerial Conference. B. Review of sustainable development policy in Asia and the Pacific 17. The issue paper highlights three key determinants of sustainable development: consumption of resources, production through conversion of resources to desired goods and pollution, and the environmental degradation resulting from resource exploitation, including aspects of poverty and environment. These determinants can be transformed through policy-making with regard to several areas of society: the political economy of markets and their imperfections; the quality of governance and who bears the cost and reaps the benefit of political decisions; and civil society and how social values are communicated and transformed into public policy through processes of public participation. The issue paper identifies the changes needed in policy-making to correct market and institutional failures that are detrimental to the pursuit of sustainable development and those changes that will contribute to poverty reduction. C. Review of the implementation of Agenda 21, multilateral environmental agreements, the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000, and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States 18. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, held at Bangkok in November 1995, adopted the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000 consistent with the regional implementation of Agenda 21. The objective of this review document is to bring into focus issues surrounding regional efforts to implement Agenda 21 through the Regional Action Programme, 1996-2000. To this end, implementation efforts facilitated through major multilateral environmental agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa and the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States are included. 19. The review document provides a synopsis of the information given in relevant background information documents and surveys made since 1995 towards the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Regional Action Programme, 1996-2000. Consideration of each major environmental convention will be integrated into an assessment of relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral issues, consistent with the format of Agenda 21. In relation to the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, a separate presentation will be made on the implementation of activities by countries and global, regional, and subregional organizations. The paper also identifies constraints encountered in implementation processes at the regional, subregional and national levels. It is intended to go beyond the frequently cited constraints such as lack of finances and political will by exploring their underlying causes, such as weaknesses in institutions and governance, lack of participation by civil society and other stakeholders, deficiencies in human resource capacity and the need for the devolution of decision-making and an improved coordination mechanism. For example, efforts at implementation through the adoption of national action plans may be assessed by the effectiveness of their institutional and legislative arrangements. D. Critical regional environment and sustainable development issues and measures for promoting sustainable development, including partnership with the private sector and civil society groups 20. With rising populations, the process of economic growth, overexploitation of natural resources for subsistence and increased national earnings, and persistent pressure on meeting short-term economic objectives, many countries in the region are experiencing environmental stress in a number of areas, such as the deteriorating urban environment; declining water resources in terms of quality and quantity; overloading of wastes linked to population, unsustainable lifestyle and consumption; loss of biodiversity; diminishing coastal resources; and exposure to hazardous chemicals and wastes. The need to tackle these environmental problems is urgent, as the situation has already reached critical dimensions in many parts of the region, affecting human health, national economies and the natural ecosystem. It is therefore proposed that a limited number of the environmental issues that are deemed most critical for the sustainable development of the region should be selected and studied in depth, in order to be brought to the attention of ministers. 21. The review document focuses on the assessment of the current state of the environment and development, including the impacts at the regional and subregional levels and quantification of trends. It contains projections which are based on probable development scenarios, and possible options to address those environment and sustainable development issues, including at subregional level. E. Regional action programme for environmentally sound and sustainable development, 2001-2005 22. The main objective of the regional action programme, 2001-2005 is to promote regional cooperation in strengthening national capacities to pursue environmentally sound and sustainable development. It will promote the programmes and projects at the regional and subregional levels that are necessary to support national-level activities. The General Assembly at its nineteenth special session, held in 1997, reviewed the progress achieved since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and noted that, although some progress in the area of institutional development had been made, the state of the global environment had continued to deteriorate. Accordingly, the General Assembly adopted the "Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21" which would be used as a guide in the preparation of the regional action programme, 2001-2005. 23. The regional action programme, 2001-2005 is the fourth in the series of regional strategies and action programmes adopted by the ministerial conferences on environment and development in Asia and the Pacific, beginning in 1985, and is intended to build on the experience gained through implementing previous regional action plans and strategies. It will be developed taking into consideration major environmental and developmental problems, trends and findings, as highlighted in the report on the state of the environment in Asia and the Pacific, 2000. The regional action programme, 2001-2005 will also take into consideration the achievements and constraints of the Regional Action Programme, 1996-2000. The regional action programme, 2001-2005 should address critical environmental issues from regional and subregional perspectives. F. Ministerial declaration on environmentally sound and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 24. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific held in 1995 raised the issues of environmentally sound and sustainable development with regional cooperation as the major focus. The Ministerial Declaration on Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific adopted at the Ministerial Conference 1995 accordingly reflected those issues. The Declaration also reflected priority environment and development concerns in the region and called upon each member country of ESCAP to intensify efforts to protect and improve the quality of the environment through the adoption of strategic approaches that balance economic growth with sound environmental management. 25. The ministerial declaration on environmentally sound and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 will acknowledge the commitment of national governments to the realization of environmentally sound and sustainable development into the twenty-first century. In particular the goals stated in the declaration will include the following:
G. Regional message for the special session of the General Assembly on the implementation of Agenda 21, 2002 26. The objective of the message will be to discuss and develop a common vision on environmentally sound and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific into the twenty-first century. Based on the targets identified for action in the regional action programme, 2001-2005, the Ministerial Conference will discuss the development of a regional message for the special session of the General Assembly on the implementation of Agenda 21, to be held in 2002. A draft message containing an assessment of achievements made in Asia and the Pacific in the area of sustainable development since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in 1992, will be provided for consideration by the Ministerial Conference. H. Kitakyushu initiative for a clean environment 27. The Ministerial Conference will be requested to consider the Kitakyushu initiative for a clean environment, which will be proposed as one mechanism for the implementation of the relevant programme areas of the regional action programme, 2001-2005. The issues to be addressed are expected to include air and water pollution, waste disposal, the development of urban green areas and environmental management issues, including health and sustainable development. The initiative will be formulated on the basis of the past experience of the city of Kitakyushu, which is renowned for having successfully overcome severe environmental pollution and for its continued efforts to assist the pollution control initiatives of participating local authorities to mitigate their environmental problems. The Kitakyushu initiative is also expected to include programmes on climate change and hazardous wastes. 28. The paper to be submitted for discussion contains a review of the experience of environmental management in Kitakyushu, including technical, institutional, regulatory and partnership aspects. Based on these aspects, the paper identifies specific priority actions to be replicated at regional and subregional levels, including identification of measurable and achievable targets. The document also explores supportive measures, such as technology transfer, the exchange of experiences and the promotion of regional cooperation. 29. The Commission may wish to comment on the organizational aspects of the Ministerial Conference and consider the broad features of the various documents with a view to ensuring their responsiveness to environment and development issues in Asia and the Pacific. 30. During the preparatory process and the deliberations of the Ministerial Conference, the environmental conditions and priority areas of concern to the respective subregions should be taken into consideration. The Commission may wish to provide comments and suggestions on ways to incorporate, as appropriate, these priority areas into the outcomes of the Ministerial Conference. 31. The Commission may wish to consider commenting on the objectives of and the input to the regional message to be presented at the 'Rio + 10' review of Agenda 21, the ministerial declaration and the Kitakyushu initiative for a clean environment. 32. The success of the Ministerial Conference will require the full participation of all concerned in both the preparatory process and the Ministerial Conference deliberations. The Commission may wish to urge all those concerned, including members and associate members of ESCAP, intergovernmental agencies and donor agencies, to give their full support in ensuring their adequate preparation and participation, taking into consideration the follow-up activities to the Ministerial Conference. Annex I Schedule of preparatory activities for the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000
Annex II Draft provisional agendas of the Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials and the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2000 A. Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials 1. Opening of the Meeting. 2. Election of officers. 3. Adoption of the agenda. 4. Review of the state of the environment and sustainable development policy. 5. Review of the implementation of Agenda 21, multilateral environmental agreements, the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000, and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. 6. Critical environment and sustainable development issues of the region and measures for promoting sustainable development, including partnership with the private sector and civil society groups. 7. Development of a regional action programme for environmentally sound and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, 2001-2005. 8. Preparation of a ministerial declaration and regional message for the "Rio + 10" review of Agenda 21 and of the Kitakyushu initiative for a clean environment. 9. Other matters. 10. Adoption of the report. B. Ministerial Conference 1. Opening of the Conference. 2. Election of officers. 3. Adoption of the agenda. 4. Perspectives on a new paradigm for sustainable development for Asia and the Pacific into the twenty-first century. 5. Consideration of the report of the Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials. 6. Draft ministerial declaration, regional message and regional action programme for environmentally sound and sustainable development, 2001-2005, and the Kitakyushu initiative for a clean environment. 7. Other matters. 8. Adoption of the report. |