1.                  We, the Ministers responsible for environment of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Union of Myanmar, Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Bali, Indonesia on 4 June 2002 to review the progress, constraints and challenges on the implementation of Agenda 21 in the region and to consider the key issues to be discussed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

2.                  We in ASEAN are committed to pursuing sustainable development in the region and have demonstrated this commitment through ASEAN’s Vision 2020 as “a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies”. The Vision also calls for “a clean and green ASEAN with fully established mechanisms for sustainable development to ensure the protection of the region’s environment, the sustainability of its natural resources and the high quality of life of its peoples”. In particular, the Hanoi Plan of Action calls for the protection of the environment and promotion of sustainable development.

3.                  ASEAN has a well-established governance structure for the Southeast Asian region to effectively develop, coordinate and implement regional programs. ASEAN also provides the forum to facilitate the development and implementation of integrated regional sustainable development policies, strategies and action plans, such as Vision 2020 and the Hanoi Plan of Action, which are consistent with the global framework and the needs of the member countries.

4.                  We note that the UN General Assembly, in launching the World Summit on Sustainable Development, called for a reinvigoration of the global commitment to sustainable development. Implicit in this decision is the clear message that not much has been accomplished since Rio.  In fact, environmental conditions and the world’s natural resource base have deteriorated over the last ten years. The situation in ASEAN is no exception. In fact the impact has been felt on a larger scale because of the region’s unique and diverse natural resources.

5.                  We are of the view that established principles, strategies and action plans for sustainable development as contained in the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 are as valid as they were ten years ago. We are concerned that the commitments in financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building have not been fully realized. We therefore call upon developed countries to immediately fulfill those commitments in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

6.                  We emphasize that the declarations and commitments such as those contained in the Millennium Declaration and the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development should be implemented expeditiously.

7.                  We, therefore, are confident that the WSSD presents a unique opportunity to pull together all these resolutions to provide the impetus for holistic, action-oriented implementation measures for real progress towards sustainable development.

8.                  We believe that WSSD should set in place targeted, time-bound, practical and implementable actions for achieving specific sustainable development goals. In particular, the use of regional governance structures, regional goals and plans as a vehicle to implement these efforts at the national and regional levels should be emphasized.

9.                  We recognize the important role of the civil society and other major groups in the implementation of Agenda 21. We acknowledge the need for their participation and contribution, and fully support meaningful processes that would effectively engage them in the implementation of sustainable development agenda.

10.             We call for the further enhancement of the international economic and trading systems to complement ASEAN’s efforts to open trade and investment environment in the region through the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA). In particular, we call for the improved market access for developing countries’ exports, eliminating trade-distorting subsidies and barriers to trade for agricultural products. The provision of special and differential treatment to developing countries should also at the same time be tackled with urgency.

11.             We recognize the opportunities for expanded trade, but are concerned about the possible constraints for trade based on genuine or ostensible environmental grounds. We oppose the use of environmental measures for protectionist purposes.

12.             We call for measures to strengthen the international financial architecture which includes a review of the roles of the international financial institutions as well as international regulatory bodies in order to enhance their capacity to contain and resolve financial crises. Other measures include closer and more coordinated monitoring of short-term capital flows and a global agreement on disclosure requirements for such flows and closer collaboration and information sharing among national and international regulators. We emphasize that the global effort in this aspect should recognize the diverse circumstances and priorities of individual economies at different stages of development. Due priority should, therefore, be accorded to measures to protect the poor and most vulnerable segments of society.

13.             Heavy debt burden has hampered the implementation of sustainable development. Therefore, debt relief measures should be pursued immediately and expeditiously. We support the efforts to develop and apply innovative mechanisms to comprehensively address debt problems in developing countries through, among others, the use of special drawing rights, debt swaps for nature and development programs. We welcome efforts to deal comprehensively and effectively with the debt problems of developing countries through various national and international measures designed to make the management of their debt sustainable in the long term.

14.             We call for international support to eliminate absolute poverty in ASEAN and to further reduce the level of poverty (almost half the people in ASEAN still earn less that US$2 a day), in accordance with the vision and development goals set by ASEAN.

15.             ASEAN welcomes international collaboration to help realize the goals of Healthy ASEAN 2020, through implementation of the relevant programs and activities.

16.             We call for the speedy implementation of the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, giving emphasis to issues that are of particular importance to resource-rich countries. These include mechanisms for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from research and development and use of biological resources and the protection, promotion and equitable use of traditional knowledge. They also include mechanisms for the improvement, generation, development and sustainable use of biotechnology and its safe transfer, particularly to developing countries.

17.             We call upon the international community to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all kinds of forests; address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation, including linking forestry issues with anti-poverty measures; and to promote trade policies that are transparent, and support sustainable forest management, including better market access and fair pricing for forestry products.

18.             We call for international support to enhance ASEAN’s effort in improving regional coordination for the integrated protection and management of its coastal and marine areas. We are also committed to addressing pollution from land- and sea-based activities through the development of a regional action plan for the protection of its marine environment.

19.             ASEAN has experienced recurrent episodes of transboundary haze from land and forest fires and has taken several measures to address this problem. Such problems are not only occurring in the ASEAN region, but also in other developed and developing countries. While the global impacts of forest damaged in terms of biodiversity loss or emissions of carbon dioxide are obvious, member countries have largely been left to tackle these problems by themselves. The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution will provide the legal and institutional framework to tackle this problem on national as well as regional basis, including prevention, monitoring, coordination, disaster relief, and research and development. We therefore call for sustained international support to deal with the problem in the long term.

20.             We call upon the international community to extend their support to developing countries who are parties and those who have yet to become parties to the multilateral environmental agreements to assist them to strengthen their legislative, institutional and administrative capability and capacity to mitigate and address the specific environmental problems. We further call for concerted efforts to foster synergy and coordination among the multilateral environmental agreements. We support the early entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol.

21.             We call for the strengthening of the sustainable development governance and institutional frameworks, including enhancing the capacity of national and regional institutions and the development of human resources. The existing frameworks for regional inter-governmental governance should be fully utilized as part of the international governance structure. Greater use should be made of regional inter-governmental organizations to promote coordinated sustainable development initiatives for that region.

22.             Adequate and predictable financing provides the means to ensure the effective implementation of sustainable development initiatives. We note with concern that the agreed target of 0.7% of GNP for ODA has yet to be achieved, but in fact has been declining since Rio. We therefore call for specific pledges, including time frames for achieving this target, to be made at WSSD.

23.             We call upon the Global Environment Facility to enhance its effectiveness by improving its operational procedures to be more responsive to the identified needs of developing countries. We further invite the Global Environment Facility to accord priority to regional projects developed within the ASEAN institutional framework.

24.             We urge developed countries to facilitate transfer of environmentally sound technology on preferential terms to enable developing countries to implement sustainable development initiatives as agreed upon, such as, in the various multilateral environmental agreements.

25.             We welcome the initiatives on partnerships (Type II Outcomes), as this will lead to concrete, implementable, and time-bound actions for sustainable development. We urge interested parties to explore such partnerships in the key programs areas that have been outlined in the ASEAN Report to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. However, we stress that such partnerships should not prevent member states from fulfilling the agreed political commitments, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, in terms of technology transfer, financial support, capacity building and human resource development.