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The 6th Northeast Asian Conference on Environmental Cooperation (NEAC)
14-16 October 1997, Nigata, JAPAN
- The 6th Northeast Asian Conference on Environmental Cooperation (NEAC) was held on 14-16 October 1997 in Niigata, Japan.The conference was organized by the Environment Agency of Japan., the Niigata Prefectural Government and the City of Niigata.Participants included senior official and experts from the central and local environmental authorities and research organization from the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Japan as well as representatives from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
- With the mutual understanding that the NEAC acts as a forum for the exchange of information and views on environmental issues of the Northeast Asian region, and aims at strengthening environmental cooperation in this region, each delegation made a keynote speech.Participants introduced recent efforts to tackle environmental problems and agreed that the NEAC has played an important role in promoting sustainable development in the region.The participants also noted that the Third Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), one of the most important environmental conferences in 1997, would be held this December in Kyoto, Japan.Considering the importance of environmental issues to international society, the participants agreed to continue the exchange of information and views on important environmental issues, and to seek solutions to environmental problems by strengthening cooperation among countries in this region.
- The subjects discussed at the 6th NEAC were as follows:
- Acid Rain
- Wide Range water Pollution Control
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Cleaner Production
- At the session on Acid Rain, presentations were made by participating countries and the Niigata Prefectural Government, which touched upon the present monitoring practices, current state of acid deposition and ongoing efforts to control it.Among the activities to promote regional cooperation, two programs were recognized as effective efforts in harmonizing existing activities in the region: Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia, advocated by Japan; and Expert Meeting for Long-range Transboundary Air Pollutants in Northeast Asia (LTP), organized by the Republic of Korea.Supportive initiatives by UNDP and UNEP were also proposed on , inter alia, harmonization of monitoring protocols, information exchange on methodologies and case studies, and the application of the scientific data into the decision-making process.
- At the session on Wide Range Water Pollution Control, presentation were given regarding the current status of water pollution, issues of oil contamination in the coastal areas, and related countermeasures.Recognizing that it is requisite to control land based pollution sources in order to improve not only fresh water quality but also marine water quality, the importance of harmonizing water management policy among countries was pointed out.Participants agreed that this issue should be discussed further at the following conference from a viewpoint of regional cooperation.
- At the session on Biodiversity Conservation, presentations concerning each country's efforts and ongoing subregional cooperation activities were introduced.The discussion focused on the necessity of strengthening information exchange because some species are migratory and the habitats of some species are transboundary.For that purpose, participating countries perceived that existing mechanisms such as bilateral agreements and multilateral programs must be supported and developed effectively.The Mongolian delegation suggested for consideration the establishment of an international transboundary biosphere zone.
- At the session on Cleaner Production, presentations concerning steps towards introducing cleaner production were introduced and concrete case studies were presented.Participants recognized the broadness of the notion of the cleaner production.The crucial need and importance of increasing awareness among managers, engineers and employees was stressed.To promote cleaner production, it was pointed out that adequate technology should be adapted according to each country's conditions.Furthermore, it was suggested that economic benefits should be taken into consideration to facilitate cleaner production.Participants recognized that information exchange among countries was vital for regional improvement in this field.
- The participants noted that environmental issues are mutually linked, therefore holistic and integrated approaches have to be pursued in order to effectively address environmental issues and to avoid adverse economic/social impacts.They agreed to promote environmental cooperation through effective implementation of the existing cooperation framework and projects.
- The participants expressed their deep appreciation to the Environment Agency of Japan, the Niigata Prefectural Government, and the City of Niigata for their warm hospitality and their successful organization of the 6th NEAC.
- The participants welcomed the offer by the Korean delegation to host the 7th NEAC in 1998 in the Republic of Korea.The exact dates and the venue will be decided later by the Korean side.
