Cooperation for Realizing EST in the Asian Region
As a result of the progress of motorization due to rapid economic development and increasing urbanization, various traffic and environmental issues have arisen such that immediate implementation of effective policies is crucial. The Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, together with United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), established the “Regional EST (Environmentally Sustainable Transport) Forum in Asia” in 2005. While taking into account the specific characteristics of the Asian region, the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan has been actively contributing to realize environmentally sustainable transport in the Asian region through policy dialogues among participating countries.
Both photos above: through the courtesy of “Environmentally Sustainable Transport for Asian Cities: A Sourcebook” (UNCRD, 2007)
[ Regional EST Forum in Asia ]
<Major Objectives>
The major objectives of the Regional EST Forum in Asia are as follows:
- Facilitate policy dialogues and provide a strategies for sharing best practices, policy instruments, tools, and technologies in relation to various aspects of EST among Asian countries.
- In consultation with the subsidiary expert groups, facilitate and provide necessary advisory support for the formulation of national EST strategies and action plans on EST for selected countries.
- Support the implementation of action plans into practice through the participation of international organizations and international development and donor agencies.
- Help establish linkages with other ongoing regional and international activities/initiatives in promoting EST.
~ Integrated EST Strategy ~
1 | Public Health |
2 | Road Safety and Maintenance |
3 | Traffic Noise Management |
4 | Social Equity and Gender Perspectives |
5 | Public Transport Planning and Transport Demand Management(TDM) |
6 | Non-motorized Transport |
7 | Environment and People Friendly Urban Infrastructures |
8 | Cleaner Fuels |
9 | Strengthening Road Side Air Quality Monitoring and Assessment |
10 | Vehicle Emission Control, Standards, and Inspection and Maintenance(I/M) |
11 | Land Use Planning |
12 | Strengthening Knowledge Base, Public Participation and Awareness |
<Participating Countries>
25 Asian countries:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, PR China, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor–Leste, Viet Nam
<Participating Members of the Forum>
The Tenth Regional EST Forum in Asia
- Senior government officials from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment
- Renowned experts from transport and environment sectors
- International organizations and others
< Progress >
As the first conference to assemble governmental officials and delegates of transport and environment ministries in Asian countries, the “International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Nagoya” was held in March 2003. At the conference, a document aiming to deepen the mutual understanding and advance policy dialogues among Asian countries: Nagoya Statement on Environmentally Sustainable Transport in the Asian Region was drawn up and adopted.
In January 2004, the “Manila Policy Dialogue on Environment and Transport in the Asian Region” was held, and the resulting statement which agreed to establish the regional forum, the Manila Statement, was adopted.
The Regional EST Forum in Asia has been held ten times since the first forum held in Nagoya, Japan, in August 2005. As major outcomes of the past Forums, the Aichi Statement (2005), the Kyoto Declaration [PDF 21KB](2007), Seoul Statement (2009) , and the Bangkok Declaration for 2020 (2010) , the Bali Declaration(2013), the Colombo Declaration(2014) and the Vientiane Declaration(2017) were adopted for the promotion of EST in Asia. At the Tenth Regional EST Forum in Asia held in Vientiane, Lao PDR on March 14-16, 2017 around 330 participants including senior government officials (representatives of Transport, Health and Environment Ministries) from 28 Asian countries, representatives from international organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), research organizations, and sustainable transport experts were in attendance. The major achievements of the Forum are as follows:
(1) Representatives from 28 Asian countries (9 ASEAN countries, 8 SACEP countries, China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia) participated in the Meeting to share the policies and advanced efforts regarding EST.
(2)Further promotion of EST in Asia was agreed in order to achieve the sustainable transport goals under the Bangkok Declaration for 2020 [PDF] adopted at the Fifth Regional EST Forum in 2010.
(3) Based on these discussions, the Vientiane Declaration for sustainable rural transport toward achieving the 2030 Agenda was adopted.
In addition, the International Mayors Forum was also held at the same time, and the Addendum to Kyoto Declaration was adopted in order to strengthen the commitment of Kyoto Declaration 2007, as well as renewing the interest in promoting environmentally sustainable transport in Asia.
The Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan will continue its effort to cooperate with related parties to pursue full realization of EST in the Asian region
<Efforts toward EST in Asia>
Mar. 2003 | International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Transport in the Asian Region (Nagoya, Japan) |
Jan. 2004 | Manila Policy Dialogue on Environment and Transport in the Asian Region (Manila, the Philippines) Adopted Manila Statement |
Aug. 2005 | First Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Nagoya, Japan) Adopted Aichi Statement |
Dec. 2006 | Second Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) |
Apr. 2007 | Asian Mayors' Policy Dialogue for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) in Cities (Kyoto, Japan) Adopted Kyoto Declaration |
Mar. 2008 | Third Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Singapore) |
Nov. 2008 | Special Event of Asian Mayors for the Signing of the Kyoto Declaration for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (Bangkok, Thailand) |
Feb. 2009 | Fourth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Seoul, Republic of Korea) Adopted Seoul Statement |
Mar. 2010 | Special Event of Asian Mayors for the Signing of the Kyoto Declaration for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (Seoul, Republic of Korea) |
Aug. 2010 | Fifth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Bangkok, Thailand) Adopted Bangkok Declaration for 2020 |
Dec. 2011 | Sixth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (New Delhi, India) |
Apr. 2013 | Seventh Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Bali, Indonesia) Adopted Bali Declaration |
Nov. 2014 | Eighth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Colombo, Sri Lanka) Adopted Colombo Declaration Adopted Addendum to Kyoto Declaration in special session by Asian Mayors |
Nov. 2015 Ninth | Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Kathmandu, Nepal) |
Mar. 2017 Tenth | Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia (Vientiane, Lao PDR) Adopted Vientiane Declaration Adopted Addendum to Kyoto Declaration at the International Mayors Forum |
<Progress of the Regional EST Forum in Asia>
Inaugural Forum | Second Forum | Third Forum | Forth Forum | Fifth Forum | Sixth Forum | Seventh Forum | Eighth Forum | Ninth Forum | Tenth Forum | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Participating Countries | 13 countries | 14 countries | 22 countries | 22 countries | 22 countries | 21 countries | 23 countries | 21 countries | 26 countries | 28 countries |
Number of Participants | approx. 80 participants | approx. 100 participants | approx. 120 participants | approx.150 participants | approx. 200 participants | approx.160 participants | approx.200 participants | approx.230 participants | approx.350 participants | approx.330 participants |
Venue | Nagoya, Japan | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | Singapore | Seoul, Korea | Bangkok, Thailand | New Delhi, India | Bali, Indonesia | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Kathmandu, Nepal | Vientiane, Lao PDR |
Ministry of the Environment Press Release
- Results of the Tenth Regional EST Forum in Asia [March 24, 2017] English
- Results of the Ninth Regional EST Forum in Asia [November 26, 2015] English
- The Eighth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia Held [November 27, 2014] English
- The Seventh Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia Held [May 23, 2013] Japanese / English
- The Sixth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia Held [December 22, 2011] Japanese / English
- The Fifth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia Held [September 2, 2010] Japanese / English
- Special Event Held: Asian Mayors on the Signing of the Kyoto Declaration for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) in Cities [March 23, 2010] Japanese
- Fourth Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia [March 3, 2009] Japanese / English
- Special Event Held: Asian Mayors on the Signing of the Kyoto Declaration for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) in Cities [November 13, 2008] Japanese / English
- The Third Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia [March 21 , 2008]Japanese / English
- "Asian Mayors' Policy Dialogue for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Cities" Held [April 26, 2007] Japanese / English
- Asian Mayors' Policy Dialogue for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Cities to be Held [April 12, 2007] Japanese / English
- Observer Application for "Asian Mayors' Policy Dialogue for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Cities" to Begin [February 26, 2007] Japanese / English
- Asian Mayors' Policy Dialogue for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Cities to Be Held [January 25, 2007] Japanese / English
- The Second Meeting of the Regional EST Forum in Asia[December18, 2006] Japanese / English
- The International Conference on Environment and Transport in AICHI held [August 08, 2005] Japanese / English
- The International Conference on Environment and Transport in AICHI [July 29, 2005]Japanese
- ~Relevant project of The 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan ~The International Conference on Environment and Transport in AICHI [June 6, 2005] Japanese / English
- ~Relevant project of The 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan ~The International Conference on Environment and Transport in AICHI [August 06, 2004] Japanese / English
- Manila Policy Dialogue on Environment and Transport in the Asian Region Held [January 19, 2004] Japanese
- The International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Nagoya [March 25, 2003]Japanese