4 February 1998
2. As directed by the ECO ASIA'96, the First International Workshop on the Environmental Information Network in Asia and the Pacific was held in Tokyo, Japan, in October 1996 to elaborate the details of the Network. After intensive discussion, participants identified the purpose and the function of the Network and the information to be exchanged through the Network. Participants agreed to discuss guidelines for the configuration of the Network at the second workshop and to ask the Secretariat to prepare its draft
3. The Second International Workshop on the Environmental Information Network in Asia and the Pacific was held in Tokyo, Japan, on 3 to 4 February 1998, with the participation of 28 experts from 17 countries and 7 organizations. The workshop investigated the essential components of the Network taking into account the situation of the countries in the region, and finalized the "Guidelines for the Configuration of ECO ASIA NET" as described below.
4. The objectives of the Network should be:
i) to support sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region by information sharing and dissemination; and,
ii) to support realization of the four concepts proposed at ECO ASIA (Eco-Consciousness, Eco-Partnership, Eco-Technology and Eco-Investment, and Eco-Policy Linkage) by utilizing Internet technology and infrastructure.
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5. To achieve the objectives mentioned above, the Network mandate should include, but not be limited to, the following functions:
6. Furthermore, improvements in the technology of information gathering and sharing including innovations in Internet technology and developments in each country's accumulation of environment-related information, should be reflected in the Network hardware and presentation.
7. The Network should be composed of:
i) main home page presented in English on the Internet, managed by the Secretariat, the contents of which are described below; and,
ii) individual home pages, managed by each participating country in the Asia-Pacific region, where applicable and/or appropriate, based on these guidelines, and linked to the main home page.
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5.1 What's New
9. This item provides links from the main home page to new announcements, and other new information on the individual home pages of each country.
5.2 Environmental Event Calendar
10. This item lists, in chronological order, planned national and international events concerning the environment and related to the Asia-Pacific region, and provides links to Internet home pages on which the content of each is described.
5.3 ECO-LINK on the Net
11. This item lists links to individual home pages provided by each country and related international organizations. In order to facilitate efficient search of the contents, the following four search methods will be available: "by country" , "by subject" , "by any word" , and "by (each Chapter of ) Agenda 21" .
6. HOME PAGES OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES
17. In the event that a participating country intends to alter the site on which its own home page is listed, alter the URL, or significantly alter the contents, it is encouraged to notify the Secretariat in advance.
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