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The 13th Northeast Asian Conference on Environmental Cooperation (NEAC)
20-22 December 2004, Seoul, Korea
- The 13th Northeast Asian Conference on Environmental Cooperation was held in Seoul, Korea. The conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Environment and Seoul Metropolitan Government. Delegates from central and local authorities of Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia, Russia and representatives from academia and UN ESCAP participated in the conference.
- On the first day, the conference held a symposium on the theme of "Air Quality
Management Policy in Metropolitan Areas" at the National Assembly Member's
Building, where representatives of the participating countries shared and exchanged
views and experiences on metropolitan air quality management. During the next
conference days participants heard keynote speeches and held discussions on the
following session topics:
- Species Restoration
- Ecological Restoration in Local Governments
- Sustainable Management of Industrial Complex
- At the Open Symposium on Air Quality Management in Metropolitan Areas, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment of Korea delivered the welcoming address followed by the congratulatory remarks from a member of the Korean National Assembly. The Symposium was attended by government representatives, members of the National Assembly, NGOs, professors and environmental experts. Presentations were made by China, Japan, the US, Mongolia, Russia and Korea on topics including SO2 emission trading, diesel vehicles emissions control, responses to emerging pressures, state ecological monitoring system and special measures for metropolitan air quality improvement.
- Through panel and floor discussions at the Symposium, participants noted the importance of developing an accurate database and emission modeling prior to adopting new measures for air quality control. Furthermore, they highlighted that the countries should not only share the successful policy experiences but also the unsuccessful ones, in order to minimize policy errors while increasing the mutual benefits for all. In this recognition, they agreed to further enhance regional cooperation for efficient exchange of information and experiences.
- The Sessions started with the opening address and congratulatory remarks by the hosting organizations followed by the keynote speeches by the head of delegations from each participating country, and UN ESCAP. The Ministry of Environment and Seoul Metropolitan Government addressed the importance of Northeast Asian regional cooperation for resolving regional and global environmental problems and highlighted the role of NEAC in facilitating such efforts. UN ESCAP introduced the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environmental Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2005 (MCED 2005).
- At session 1 on "Species Restoration," there were presentations on the various species restoration initiatives promoted by each participating country. The topics included the restoration of tigers by China, tushima leopard cats by Japan, wild horses by Mongolia, brown and asian black bears by Russia and asiatic black bears by Korea. Participants reaffirmed the importance of joint cooperative activities among neighboring countries for effective species restoration and conservation due to the fact that wildlife habitat is transboundary by nature. Also, the important role that awareness, education, and appropriate legislation play in anti-poaching efforts was raised. Participants noted that a variety of measures to prevent habitat loss, such as the establishment of ecological corridors between protected areas, are desirable. Also discussed were the challenges faced in the reintroduction of species into the wild.
- At Session 2 on "Ecological Restoration in Local Governments," there were reports on the diverse ecological restoration initiatives that are presently undertaken by local governments of the participating countries. The importance of partnership and information exchange between central and local governments was stressed. Case studies on urban environmental management as well as experiences in environmental education and stream restoration were shared. Participants showed particular interest in the Cheong Gye-Cheon Restoration Project in Seoul, Korea.
- At Session 3 on "Sustainable Management of Industrial Complex," there were reports on how participating countries have been pursuing the sustainable management efforts in various industrial and social settings. Participants introduced ongoing initiatives including the construction of eco-town and environmentally friendly parks, and shared concrete measures such as clean production programs and eco-efficient management systems. There were dynamic discussions on the corelation of economic and environmental values in promoting such efforts, and the roles of central and local authorities. Participants noted that the successful model cases of environmentally friendly towns or industries should be further introduced and expanded across the region.
- The participants expressed their deep appreciation to the Ministry of Environment and the Seoul Metropolitan Government for their warm hospitality and their successful organization of the 13th NEAC.
- The next venue of the 14th NEAC will be later decided through consultation among the participating countries.
