The 11^th Northeast Asian Conference on Environmental cooperation (NEAC) was held 5-6 December 2002 in Bo'ao, Hainan, China. The Conference was hosted by State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China, with support from China Environmental Protection Foundation and Land, Environment and Resource Department of Hainan Provincial Government. Participants were from central and local governments, research institutes and NGOs from the five member countries, namely, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and Russian Federation. A representative from UNEP/ROAP also attended the meeting.
The subjects discussed at the 11^th NEAC were as the following:

• Current and major environmental policies for environmental preservation and ways for enhancing environmental cooperation in Northeast Asian nations
• Improvement of water environment
• Air quality improvement in urban area
• WSSD summit and Northeast environmental cooperation
• An open symposium on Environmental education and public awareness

Opening of the meeting

The Conference opened with an introductory speech by Mr. Zhang Shigang from SEPA, followed by welcoming address from Mr. Li Lihui, Vice Governor of Hainan Province on behalf of the Provincial Government and Mr. Wang Zhijia, on behalf of SEPA. Congratulatory addresses were then given by Mr. Noriyasu Yamada from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Ms. Sun-Hee Joo, from Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.

Keynote Speech

Following the opening ceremony were keynote speeches given by the delegation heads from each participating country. Brief reviews over the current environmental policies in each country were given as well as some major on-going projects in each country. In addition, more attentions were given on the solutions over global environmental issues through enhanced regional cooperation. The potential influence of WSSD held in Johannesburg over regional environmental cooperation is also addressed. Delegation from Japan introduced the third Water Forum in March 2003 in Japan and extended invitation to other countries. At the end of this session, the representative of UNEP/ROAP was invited to give a speech on the progress in environmental cooperation and on-going projects in this sub-region.

Open Symposium - Environmental Education And Public Awareness

The afternoon session started with an open symposium on environmental education and public awareness. Experts from NGOs including China, Japan and Korea actively participated in the forum. Their presentations mainly cover the concept and framework of environmental education, the current environmental education activities in each country, the role NGOs and media play in promotion of environmental education and public awareness, and the current achievements. Representatives from Mongolian and Russian delegation were also invited to introduce the environmental education and public awareness in their countries.

Session 1 - Water Quality

The session was focused on the improvement of water environment. Representatives from all five countries made presentations. All countries agree on the necessity and urgency for proper management to protect the water environment. The topics as covered are mainly the auto-monitoring stations for water quality established in China, the joint international water management project between local governments, water quality management policy based on watershed and water supply management in Korea and policy and actions for prevention and treatment of water pollution in Mongolia, and water quality standards and the framework of water management in Russia.
It was noted that comprehensive measures for watershed management such as pollution prevention programs with the adequate pollution reduction measures are necessary to protect the water environment in this region.

Session 2 - Urban Air Quality

The second day started with a session on air quality improvement in urban areas. Status and major issues in air quality management were discussed, with main focus over the air quality in China, measures for atmospheric environment at the level of local government, Japan, the air quality management and special measures for the capital region in Korea and Mongolia. Attentions given were from policy issues, laws established, and measures adopted to specific problems such as green house gas emission, Nox pollutant, acid rain, and motor vehicle emissions, etc.
It was noted that more international and regional efforts are needed to tackle regional environmental problems such as the dust storm.

Session 3 - WSSD and future regional cooperation

Discussions on the WSSD and the possibility of enhancing environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia were then held. It is recognized by all that the WSSD held in Johannesburg in September shall have great impact over the regional cooperation. Participating countries shared a view that it is desired for the countries in the Northeast Asian region to further strengthen regional cooperation to implement the outcome of WSSD. They all showed the expectation that NEAC will continue to play an important role to exchange information and experience and to promote environmental cooperation in Northeast Asia.
It was noted that the open participatory process in NEAC, involving not only national governments but also major groups including local authorities and NGOs is particularly important in the follow-up to WSSD. In addition, the future work by NEAC should be carried out in close cooperation and consultation with the regional multilateral organizations such as ESCAP, UNEP/ROAP, etc.

Closing of the Meeting

The participants all appreciated the excellent organization of the conference by the Chinese Government and welcomed the intention expressed by the Government of Japan to host the 12^th NEAC in 2003. The dates, venue, duration and agenda of the conference will be finalized by the host country in collaboration with other participating countries at least three months in advance.