ENVIRONMENT

152. The importance of environmental issues was reiterated by the ASEAN Heads of State and Government at the 1995 Bangkok Summit in their decision to advance the economic prosperity and social well-being of the peoples of ASEAN in a sustainable manner.

153. An integral aspect of preserving the ecological balance is the ability to assess and monitor the quality of the environment. The First ASEAN State of the Environment Report (SoER) will enable the region to do this. This on-going ASOEN effort is assisted by the ASEAN Secretariat and funded by the UNEP Environment Assessment for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP-AP). When complete the report will be the baseline document on the state of ASEAN’s environment. The report will cover a wide range of topics such as land, air water, people, agriculture, industry, energy/transport, international trade and tourism, as well as legislation and institutions. It will also highlight ASEAN’s initiatives and future challenges.

154. Recognising that transboundary pollution is a complex problem requiring an integrated approach, the Malaysian Government hosted a meeting to discuss this matter in Kuala Lumpur in June 1995. The Senior Officials session of the ASEAN Meeting on the Management of Transboundary Pollution drew on the experience and expertise of representatives from countries and organisations from both within and outside of ASEAN. Invited participants from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, United States of America, ASEAN Institute of Forest Management, ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, International Tropical Timber Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme contributed to the drafting of a cooperation plan.

155. The ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution, was adopted by the ASEAN Environment Ministers at the Ministerial segment of the meeting. The Plan consists of three programme areas: Transboundary Atmospheric Pollution; Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes; and Transboundary Shipborne Pollution.

156. The Plan requires ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) to play a major coordinating role in addressing all issues relating to transboundary pollution, and to identify financial support and relevant technologies from within and outside ASEAN.

157. Environment Ministers at their Second Informal ASEAN Meeting in Singapore, exchanged views on the proposed ban on the movement of toxic and hazardous waste from developed to developing countries. They urged the ASEAN countries involved in the hazardous waste materials trade to take into account the underlying rationale for engaging in such trade. Other matters discussed at the Meeting in September 1995 include the ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution, the ASEAN Environment Year 1995, the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment and ASEAN's long term objective to harmonize environmental quality standards.

Transboundary Pollution

158. To address transboundary atmospheric pollution, ASOEN established a Haze Technical Task Force when it met in Bali, Indonesia. The Task Force, chaired by Indonesia, comprised senior officials from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Table 9 lists the areas of responsibility identified for this Task Force.

159. The Working Group on Transboundary Pollution is preparing a booklet on ASEAN Countries' Achievements and Future Directions in Environmental Pollution Control. The publication will chronicle ASEAN's efforts and achievements to minimise pollution. In relation to the ASEAN Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution, the Working Group has agreed to exchange information on the lists of hazardous wastes and the control procedures regarding the movement of such wastes adopted by each country. In order to establish a network of national authorities dealing with hazardous wastes, a list of national focal points on hazardous wastes and their movements has been compiled for circulation among Member Countries. The Working Group met in Chiangmai, Thailand in May 1996 to review its projects.

Environmental Management

160. The Working Group on Environmental Management is currently implementing a joint cooperation project with COST under the AAECP Phase III. This is the Wastewater Treatment Technology Transfer and Cleaner Production Demonstration Project. Part of ASEAN’s move to ensure environmentally sustainable development, the project aims to implement cleaner production technology and improved waste water treatment in the textile , food processing and distilling industries. The Overseas Projects Corporation of Victoria has completed the feasibility design study and has prepared the draft Project Implementation Document for the project.

161. The Working Group agreed to a proposed Framework to Achieve Long Term Environmental Goals in ASEAN when it met in April 1996 in Singapore for which it will seek ASOEN’s endorsement. In line with the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Environment, the group has drawn up the strategies and actions outlined in Table 10 to be carried out under its purview.

162. During the period under review, ASOEN undertook several initiatives in the area of environmental management in cooperation with the ASEAN-US Environmental Improvement Project. Among these, were seminars on alternatives to ozone-depleting CFC’s in the ASEAN Member Countries. In addition, four Indonesian Government officials went on a study tour of the United States to observe cleaner production and pollution prevention programmes.

163. In another ASEAN-US EIP initiative, Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) Information Centres were established in Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore. These centres aim to promote, market and train ASEAN industries in the use of cleaner technologies. The CTEM information centre managers exchanged information on the running of these centres when they attended a training seminar in Manila in April 1996. Ways of effectively operating and marketing the centres in their respective countries was the highlight at this seminar.

164. The first half of 1995, saw the completion of 26 Waste Reduction Assessments. Among those assessed were four pulp and paper mills in Indonesia and a number of hospitals in the Philippines. Survey questionnaires were sent to companies that participated in the waste reduction assessments for the iron and steel industries in Indonesia and in the follow-on workshops for the food processing and cement industries in Malaysia and the Philippines. The survey results proved encouraging as they showed companies experiencing efficiency improvements and cost savings in the production processes.

Nature Conservation

165. The Working Group on Nature Conservation has been actively implementing Strategy 4 of the ASEAN Plan of Action for the Environment. The strategy calls for the establishment of a regional framework on biological diversity conservation and sustainable utilisation of its components as part of the Management Plan for ASEAN Heritage Parks and Reserves. At the national level, Member Countries have implemented relevant activities, consistent with the objectives of this regional plan.

166. Two heritage sites in the Philippines, namely, Mount Apo and Mount Iglit-Baco National Parks, received financial assistance from the World Bank-Global Environment Facility and technical assistance grant from the Asian Development Bank. These funds were used to implement pilot testing and refinement of buffer-zone management guidelines for the two heritage sites.

167. Under the Management of Transfrontiers Parks and Protected Areas in the ASEAN Region, the Indonesia - Malaysia project on the Lanjak-Entimau/Gunung Bentuan-Karimun areas have been supported by the International Tropical Timber Organisation. The Malaysia - Thailand project has carried out inventories on flora and fauna for the Wang Kelian/Thaleban and Belum/Halabala. A bilateral agreement between Malaysia and the Philippines declared the areas around Turtle Islands and Palawan Islands as Transfrontier Marine Parks for the Conservation of Marine Turtles.

168. At a meeting held in Cisarua, Indonesia from 20-21 May 1996, two new project proposals were approved. The first of these is the Biodiversity Inventory of the Typical Reserves Bienlac Nui Ong, Kong Cha Rang and Hoang Lien Son in Vetnam, which Thailand suggested be expanded to include areas of other Member Countries. The second project, proposed by the Philippines is a Meeting-Workshop on the creation of the ASEAN Marine Turtle Specialist Network. This is based on the ASEAN Marine Turtle Conservation Programme which arose during the discussions of the Fifth Working Group Meeting held in Manila in May 1995.

ASEAN Seas and Marine Environment

169. The Working Group on ASEAN Seas and Marine Environment has established an inventory of all marine-related projects as a result of its meetings of 18-19 September 1995 and 27-29 May 1996 . Under the AAECP Phase III, the Working Group jointly implemented activities of the Coastal Zone Improvement Project with the ASEAN COST Sub-committee on Marine Science.

170. The Working Group has also agreed to adopt a balanced approach towards preventing and controlling marine pollution by tackling both land-based sources and ship-borne discharges. In this regard the ASEAN Symposium on the Impact, Control and Management of Marine Oil Spills, to be held back-to-back with the next Working Group Meeting, will also consider land-based sources of marine pollution. The symposium was endorsed by ASOEN at its 6th Meeting in Bali in September 1995.

171. While examining emerging issues within the area of marine and coastal environmental management, the Member Countries expressed their interest in looking more closely into marine ecotourism. The Working Group will prepare guidelines on the development of marine ecotourism for inclusion in the tasks of the Working Group on Nature Conservation.

172. The database of agencies and institutions involved in monitoring and managing marine pollution will also be updated.

Environmental Economics

173. Funding for the projects Environmental and Natural Resources Accounting for ASEAN Countries (ENRA) and Economic Instruments for Polution Control Prevention in ASEAN Countries amounting to C$310,000, is now available with the support of the Canadian Government through the Economic and Environment Programme for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA).

174. The project Studies on Trade Policies and Environmental Cost has also been approved and will be undertaken by the Working Group on Environmental Economics once funding is secured. The project assesses the suitability of economic instruments and trade policies and their impact on environment and development in ASEAN. Besides reviewing the status of the existing projects, the Working Group also discussed the possibility of exploring areas of cooperation and collaboration between US-AEP and ASEAN in the field of Environmental Economics and the promotion of environmental management through the implementation of ISO 14000 when it met in Kuala Lumpur from 16-17 April 1996.

175. With assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the ASEAN-UNDP Sub-Programme on Trade and Environment, the ASEAN Secretariat successfully convened a series of familiarization workshops on the link between trade and environment in May 1995 in four ASEAN capitals. The results of these workshops were published and released at the 1995 Bangkok Summit Meeting.

176. Work on the country studies on trade and environmental issues began in June 1995, with an Inception Meeting where the Terms of Reference for the National Level Studies on Trade and Environment were finalised. The National Level Studies consisted of two phases. Phase I contained a survey on the ASEAN Member Countries' responses to external use of trade-environment measures. Phase 2 attempts to document ASEAN Member Countries current practices and to recommend guidelines on the following issues:

adoption of the PPP/Pollution Prevention Principle;
the harmonisation of environmentally-related product standards;
the internalization of environmental protection costs in product prices; and
the development of common procedures for monitoring the environmental performance of foreign investment and MNCs.

177. This was followed by a second round of ASEAN workshops in four ASEAN capitals, convened from 8 to 23 April 1996. Senior officials from the trade and environment ministries offered recommendations for the development of policies on trade and environment. The output from the workshops will be collated and consolidated into the national studies, which will be finalized and published in July 1996.

178. A report entitled Comprehensive Database on the Use of Trade and Environmental Measures in International Agreements was also prepared by the ASEAN Secretariat during the period under review. In relation to this, a computerised database containing trade-related information has been installed for use by the AFTA Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat.

179. Guidelines and/or recommendations for ASEAN policies on trade and the environment are currently being drafted by the ASEAN Secretariat. This draft will be presented at the 7th Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment to be held in Langkawi, Malaysia in the second half of 1996.

Environmental Information, Public Awareness and Education

180. During its meeting in Bali from 18-19 September 1995, ASOEN proposed the following projects for implementation in the areas of Environmental Information, Public Awareness and Education:

Development of Techniques for Promoting Environmental Awareness among Specific Target Groups;
ASEAN Network on Environmental Monitoring;
ASEAN Environmental Education Plan; and
Regional Training on Integrating Environmental Education into Subject Matter for Primary School Teachers

181. The Working Group on Environmental Information, Public Awareness and Education coordinated the activities for ASEAN Environment Year 1995 : Green and Clean. AEY 95 was launched simultaneously by the highest government official in each member country. The event was marked by a total of 80 national promotional activities. Promotional campaign materials took the form of commemorative envelopes, posters and postcards as well as billboards advertisements. In addition to the Bangkok exhibition, ASEAN Environment Expo ‘95, environmental quizzes, youth fora and radio and television programmes were also held in the Member Countries. A total of 64 workshops and seminars on environmental preservation and rehabilitation were conducted throughout ASEAN during the AEY 1995. To increase the involvement of youth in the protection and rehabilitation of the environment, ecology camps were organised on a region-wide basis. The Working Group has been instrumental in ensuring the success of the AEY 1995.

182. As the ASEAN Environment Year successfully promoted the protection and rehabilitation of the environment, ASEAN Member Countries, agreed to continue the activities of the AEY 1995 through to 1996.

International Conventions

183. ASOEN looked into ways to implement to International Conventions more effectively at the Bali meeting. With the exception of the London and Copenhagen amendments, the Montreal Protocol has been ratified by all ASEAN Member Countries. It also urged Member Countries to ratify the to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.