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ASEAN & Environment Panel

RACA Institute-Indonesia Vietnam NGO Network Philippines Suswatch Net PRRM/ Social Watch-Phils. ASEAN & Environment Panel. Vientiane Action Program. Pillars of ASEAN Community is silent on environment Political and security cooperation Economic integration Socio-cultural cooperation

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ASEAN & Environment Panel

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  1. RACA Institute-Indonesia Vietnam NGO Network Philippines Suswatch Net PRRM/ Social Watch-Phils ASEAN & Environment Panel

  2. Vientiane Action Program • Pillars of ASEAN Community is silent on environment • Political and security cooperation • Economic integration • Socio-cultural cooperation • Goal 3.3 specifies the promotion of environmental sustainability • Strategies include: • Environmental Management (without impinging on competitiveness or social and economic development • Natural resource management (but includes promotion of “responsible mining” and the optimum utilization of mineral resources

  3. ASEAN Initiatives on Environment • Started early (1977), inspired by the Stockholm convention prior to Rio • ASEAN member nation also enacted their environmental laws during this period (e.g. the Phil, environmental code of the Philippines was enacted in 1975) • Currently ASEAN has 3 mechanism in place • 1) ASOEM (1989) – born after the report on “our common future” • 2) Regional cooperation project – Mekong commission • - conservation of turtle act • - cross border natural resource management • - forest fire monitoring • - others • 3) Bilateral cooperation • There is concern, policy and mechanism available in ASEAN on environment…

  4. BUT… why is environmental degradation persist in the region?? • UNDP has already said that ASEAN record has not been good. 2nd AP MDG Report shows MDG 7 (environmental sustainability) as off tracked! • The factors : financing and technological capabilities to address these issues. • The explanation for this problem is the strategy of grow now, pay later. And we are paying the costs of that.

  5. KEY ISSUES/ PERSPECTIVES ON ASEAN & ENVIRONMENT • Indonesia – RACA Institute • Old arena (since 1967), less engagement : • - No specific position on ASEAN & its Environment program/cooperation • Internal conflict amongst ASEAN member on Environment and NRM (Indonesia vs Malaysia on Illegal Logging, Indonesia vs Philippines andThailand on fisheries, Indonesia vs Singapore on Sand mining, Indonesia vs other ASEAN member on haze pollution) • Philippines SusWatch Network • Key issues • Revitalization of the large scale commercial mining (October 11-14 AFMA-ASEAN Federation of Mining Association International Conference in Manila) • Debt Swap for « Equity » - converting debt to equity in public and government assets – a practical sell out of national patrimony • Vietnam NGO Network • Key issues: • Climate change • Biodiversity and habitat loss • Transboundary water resource management issues and conflicts (Mekong River issues between upstream and downstream countries) • Many national policies in place but their is lack of implementation

  6. Response & Recommendations • Sustainability Watch Monitoring & Advocacy “Suswatch Reports) – looking into the inter linkages of MDG 7 (environmental sustainability( with MDG 1 (poverty reduction) and MDG 8 (global partnership in aid, trade, governance, debt) * National susdev implementation barriers supported by local case studies • National & International Coalition against large scale commercial mining (starting with Philippines, Indonesian CSOs) • Pursue compliance to MEAs across the region – engage ASEAN on this • Adoption of sustainable development framework as alternative for globalization (serious compliance with Agenda 21 and WSSD) • Resistance to mainstream responses to drivers of globalization (Debt-for-Equity) • Focus our efforts at looking into and monitoring the ASEAN Yangon Resolution on Sustainable Development(2003) – Enhancement of Environmental Sustainability

  7. Challenges & Next Steps for CSOs • How to create mechanism to effectively influence & challenge ASEAN particularly on its pro-liberalization stance and for them to enforce the various convention/protocol? • Consolidate our efforts since the policy and mechanism already exist within ASEAN – we need to organize ourselves better so that we can optimize CSO engagement in the many channels and mechanisms open for us • Lets consider the ASOEM proposal for a permanent forum between CSO and ASEOM on environment issue Lets ensure we have more say on the modality of engagement of CSO. • We should be realistic in our expectation. • We should identify clear and specific engagement point where we can build confidence and establish cooperation with ASEAN • Environment Component of the December ASEAN-CSO Forum • SusWatch 2006 (mid-year) Conference on SusWatch process – we can provide focus on looking at our engagement with ASEAN mechanisms

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