| In order to promote Environmentally Sustainable
Transport (EST) in Asia, the Regional EST Forum was initiated
by UNCRD and the Ministry of the Environment, Government of
Japan, as a strategic knowledge platform for sharing experiences
and disseminating among Asian countries best practices, policy
instruments, tools, and technologies, in relation to various
aspects of EST. The Regional EST Forum is comprised of (1)
high-level government representatives (both from the Ministry
of Environment and the Ministry of Transport) and (2) a subsidiary
expert group of internationally renowned experts in various
thematic areas related to EST. |
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| Participating countries include the members
of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
Mongolia, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea and
Japan. The experts of the Forum provide strategic guidance
to participating countries in the relevant EST areas, including
the formulation of national EST
strategies. The first Regional EST Forum was conducted
in Aichi, Japan in August 2005 and resulted in the
Aichi Statement. The second meeting of the Regional
EST Forum was held on 11-12 December 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ministry
of Health officials and municipal officials from selected Asian countries also
took part in this second meeting. |
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| Following consultations with Governments, in
particular the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable
Cities (AWGESC), it was determined that the EST Initiative
would be even more effective by incorporating city specific
elements and issues in a more prominent way under the overall
framework of the Regional EST Forum. While the Ministry of
Environment and Ministry of Transport from central governments
are represented in the Forum, the participation of selected
city mayors would bring greater synergy in the move towards
sustainability in the
transport sector. |
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