CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
OF THE THIRD INFORMAL
ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING ON ENVIRONMENT
 7-8 January 1997, Phuket, Thailand

  1. Thailand hosted the Third Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment held in Phuket, Thailand on 7-8 January 1997. The Meeting was attended by Ministers in charge of the Environment from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam and the Secretary General of ASEAN, The Minister for the Environment of Singapore was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment of Singapore. The Meeting was chaired by His Excellency Mr. Yingpan Manasikarn, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment of Thailand.

  2. The Meeting was held in an informal setting. The Ministers exchanged views on a wide range of issues regarding ASEAN environmental cooperation. These included Transboundary Haze Pollution, Harmonisation of Air Quality Index, ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC)F Land and Sea-Based Marine Pollution, Emerging Issues on Trade and Environment, Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation, Cleaner Technology/Cleaner Production including Waste Minimization, UNEP's Enhanced Role in Regional Development and Environmental Issues, Activities to celebrate ASEAN's 30th Anniversary and the request from EU for an informal meeting with the ASEAN Ministers responsible for the Environment.

  3. The Ministers expressed their appreciation on Indonesia' s efforts on the issue of Transboundary Haze Pollution and pledged their continued support for these efforts. In this connection, the Ministers agreed that the role of the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre (ASMC) be expanded to include research, monitoring and early warning system of all climate-related events such as haze plumes and tropical storms. The Ministers further tasked ASOEN to discuss this matter with COST and that the next meeting of the Haze Technical Task Force set up by ASOEN also consider the afore-mentioned expanded role of the ASMC. It was also agreed that ASOEN look into the possibility of establishing a common air quality index for ASEAN.

  4. On the issue of Land and Sea-based Marine Pollution, the Ministers reiterated the need for regional and international organizations to implement more action-oriented programmes to address this problem and requested ASOEN to study the means to develop and support such programmes, including various relevant conventions.

  5. The Ministers agreed to the need to identify a list and establish a pool of ASEAN experts in various fields related to trade and environment issues and requested the ASEAN Secretariat to coordinate efforts in this regard with the assistance of the ASEAN representatives on the Committee on Trade and Environment at the WTO.

  6. The Ministers expressed their support for the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation as a flagship project and requested ASOEN to expedite the necessary approvals required on the ASEAN side.

  7. On Cleaner Technology/Cleaner Production including Waste Minimization, the Ministers supported the need for ASEAN to further enhance its cooperation on this matter in the areas of information exchange and dissemination, training and demonstration projects particularly in collaboration with the private sector with emphasis on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), The Ministers requested ASOEN to develop appropriate proposals in this regard.

  8. The Ministers reaffirmed their support for UNEP and the enhancement of its role in the region and agreed to convey this sentiment at the coming UNEP Governing Council Meeting.

  9. The Ministers requested ASOEN to develop and implement programmes and activities to commemorate ASEAN�s 30th Anniversary in 1997 and whereever possible such activities be built into existing or on-going events such as the celebration of the World Environment Day.

  10. The Ministers also agreed to develop a common ASEAN position on relevant issues for the forthcoming meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development in April 1997.

  11. In conclusion the ASEAN Ministers agreed that the informal gathering had helped to create a better understanding and rapport among the ASEAN Environment Ministers, They agreed to meet again in 1998 at a venue to be determined.