Expert Group Meeting on the Implementation of Regional Action Programme on Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development, 1996-2000

27-30 May 1997
Bangkok, Thailand
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CONTENTS

1. Implementation of the Regional Action Programme: Summary for Discussion on Strengthening
On-going Efforts

The experts from countries and representatives of organizations made presentation on the activities which were being undertaken on the implementation of the Regional Action Programme. The Meeting noted with appreciation that considerable progress had been made by Governments and international organizations in the implementation of various programme areas of the Regional Action Programme at national and regional levels. The Meeting noted the need for awareness raising and involvement of the private sector in sustainable development endeavours.

The Meeting noted priority areas of the Regional Action Programme expressed by various clusters of countries. Desertification, for example, emerged as an important problem in the Central and South Asia as well as China. Coastal and Marine Environment was identified as a major area of concern for island and archipelago countries. Management of toxic and hazardous wastes was listed as a major problem by countries recording fast industrial growth, while transboundary air pollution was identified as an important problem in North-East Asia. Threats to biodiversity and deteriorating water and air quality were noted as problems for all the countries of the region. On policy related issues, capacity-building, environmental training and awareness, institutions and environmental legislation, and tools for environmental management were considered to be priority issues. Environmental assessment and reporting also emerged as a major area of concern.

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2. New Project Profiles for the Implementation of the Regional Action Programme

The Meeting divided itself into two Working Groups to deliberate in-depth on the assigned areas of concern and develop project profiles. The Working Groups developed a portfolio of 27 project profiles. The portfolio was arrived through consolidation of the submitted profiles and addition of some new ones based on the ideas generated during the discussion in the Working Groups.

Titles of Proposed Project Profiles

  1. Local government capacity-building for urban environmental management;
  2. Capacity building in monitoring and management of air quality in the metropolitan cities of ESCAP region;
  3. A study on the management practices of toxic and hazardous wastes in the ESCAP region;
  4. Capacity building for developing and implementing national environmental strategies and action plans for sustainable development;
  5. Joint research on long-range pollutant transportation in North-East Asia;
  6. Sustainable management and use of wetland and lakes;
  7. Regional cooperation for monitoring and assessment for the state of environment reporting in Asia and the Pacific;
  8. Strengthening the capacity for environmental legislation in the context of sustainable development;
  9. Strengthening government institution for training on sustainable development;
  10. Capacity-building to improve the water quality in major river basins in the ESCAP region;
  11. Enhancing sustainable use of biological resources;
  12. Formulation of environmental quality standards for transboundary/international river;
  13. Promotion of cleaner technology in the industries of the region;
  14. Mutually supportive trade and environment policies: (a) case studies on focused priority sectors and feasibility study on mutual recognition; and (b) capacity building on trade and environment;
  15. Study on the use of economic instrument for environmental conservation in ESCAP region;
  16. Alternate energy development;
  17. Strengthening national focal points for environmental education and networking;
  18. Development of databases and management capacity for conservation of biological diversity;
  19. Regional cooperation for the development of approaches to integrated coastal one management;
  20. Human resources development through strengthening regional centres of excellence in South Asia;
  21. Improving capacities and developing linkages with local communities for sustainable development of tourism;
  22. Strengthening national and regional capacity to implement the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (CCD) in Asia and the Pacific;
  23. Capacity building for meeting obligations under international environmental conventions;
  24. Strengthening of environmental impact assessment review system;
  25. Marine pollution risk assessment;
  26. Integrated environmental management planning for mountain area; and
  27. Capacity building of vulnerable groups to combat poverty.

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3. Formulation of an Action Strategy and Finalisation of Project Profiles by Themes and Programmes Areas

The Meeting outlined a strategy for the implementation of project profiles. It recommended that the Inter-agency Sub-committee on Environment and Sustainable Development should be responsible for coordination, joint programming wherever appropriate, monitoring and review of the execution of the Regional Action Programme. Individual members of the Committee may act as coordinators for specific programme areas to support the efforts in information exchange, development of databases, capacity-building and reporting. The Meeting noted that the Committee had already responded to this request by designating its member agencies as coordinators of various programme areas of the Regional Action Programme. The project profiles should, therefore, be discussed by the Committee to identify possible means of their implementation. The joint implementation of the projects should be one of the major objectives in the discussion of the Committee. The joint implementation of subregional projects was proposed with the respective subregional organizations. The active support of the Asian Development Bank as the only regional multilateral financial institution was requested.

The Meeting recommended that project profiles should be refined and elaborated based on the inventory of ongoing projects conforming to the Regional Action Programme. It also suggested that the interest of the donors should be ascertained before their elaboration and submission as full fledged project documents. The Meeting noted the need for in kind or other support from the participating countries in projects to enhance their viability. In this regard, it suggested that the secretariat approach the participating countries when the project profiles are further elaborated to obtain their response on country support in project implementation. The Meeting also requested the member countries to support the implementation of those projects by undertaking national level actions so that when initiated the regional projects have appropriate linkage and coordination and is not undertaken as an exercise in isolation.

The Meeting further noted the need for close cooperation with the subregional organizations in the implementation of subregional and other projects of interest to those organizations.

The Meeting requested ESCAP secretariat to explore the possibility of funding for the recommended projects from its regular or extrabudgetary resources. It also requested other prospective multilateral and bilateral donors to provide funds. Wherever possible, the Meeting also recommended cooperation between ESCAP and other intergovernmental agencies and subregional organizations to pool resources towards the implementation of the projects.

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4. Participants

The Meeting was attended by experts from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Turkmenistan and Viet Nam. It was also attended by representatives from United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

5. Funding of the Meeting

The Meeting was funded by the Government of Japan.

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