The ASEAN Secretariat is now preparing a second report containing a comprehensive accounting of the environmental conditions of the ASEAN region and factors causing them, especially those with regional implications like the haze, land degradation and marine pollution.
The Second ASEAN State of the Environment Report (SoER), to be released in the year 2000, will also detail the sustainable development measures and general strategies adopted by ASEAN in meeting the immediate and long term environmental challenges of the new millennium.
Unlike the first ASEAN SoER that had only one version, the second report will in at least three versions: a formal report with an executive summary for researchers and decision-makers, a popular version for the general public, and a version in interactive CD format for those who have access to electronic media.
Meanwhile, training of officials from ASEAN member countries is being carried out with a view to establishing a standard database to support state of the environment reporting in the ASEAN region. Participants in this annual training programme are expected to lead in the building of a state of the environment database and reporting in their respective countries.
The first ASEAN State of the Environment Report was published in 1997. It covered a wide range of topics related to the environment including ASEAN initiatives at sustainable development and future challenges in this field.
The Seventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Jakarta in September 1997 decided to have the SoER updated and published periodically.