Overview

The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED-6) is jointly organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea in Muju from 8 to 9 July 2010. This Meeting is a major preparatory process to seek views of the member States, associate member States as well as other major stakeholders on the expected discussions and outcomes of the MCED-6 to be held from 27 September to 2 October 2010 in Astana, Kazakhstan. In particular, the RPM will review regional and national progress in the implementation of the MCED-5 recommendations and critical regional challenges for sustainable development in order to formulate key messages for the Ministerial Declaration and other relevant initiatives to be adopted by the MCED-6. Thus, the RPM will be a key occasion to exchange views on substantive issues to be addressed by the MCED-6 and to share the information of specific MCED arrangements with member Governments and other major stakeholders.

Prior to the RPM, the Fifth Policy Consultation Forum of the Seoul Initiative Network on Green Growth (SINGG) will also be held in Muju, Republic of Korea from 5 to 7 July 2010. This meeting will create an opportunity to bring the outcomes of the review of SINGG achievements to the discussions at the Regional Consultation meeting and to integrate the lessons learned in the key messages for the MCED-6 deliberations.

Outcome

The RPM in Muju was convened as planned and reviewed the draft issues papers and outcome documents with comments provided by participating member States. The discussions held were focussed on collectively developing the key messages that would be the basis for regional policy guidance, as well as serving as direction markers for individual governments to align their national strategies and development plans. The participants were satisfied with the overall quality of the documents and agreed to review them again during the Senior Officals Segment when they meet in Astana from 27 to 29 September 2010. The governments will be provided sufficient time before MCED-6 to reconsider and suggest concrete actions and commitments to be officially endorsed at the Ministerial Segment.