SINGAPORE TO RATIFY THE ASEAN HAZE AGREEMENT

Singapore, together with Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, has announced its
readiness to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

Minister for the Environment, Mr Lim Swee Say, made the announcement at the 7th IAMME held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 20-21 Nov 2002. All three countries are in the process of depositing their respective legal instruments for ratification with the ASEAN Secretariat.

Apart from the three countries, a majority of ASEAN member countries have also indicated that they would initiate actions to ratify the Haze Agreement in the next few months. At the Meeting, ASEAN Environment Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to bring the Agreement into force early. To that end, the Ministers expressed their common desire to have the Agreement ratified by at least 6 member countries by the time they meet again in Cambodia on 3 Mar 2003 at the launching of the ASEAN Environment
Year 2003.

In his address to the IAMME, Minister Lim said that: "The signing of the ASEAN Haze Agreement in June 2002 by all ASEAN member countries had sent a clear signal on the region's commitment to tackle the forest fires and haze problem. With the positive response and resolve of ASEAN member countries in working together, I am happy that the Agreement will come into force as early as in 2003. Singapore looks forward to working with fellow ASEAN member countries to strive for zero-burning and a haze-free environment as called for under the Haze Agreement."

Released by the Ministry of the Environment, Singapore 21 Nov 2002
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JOINT PRESS RELEASE
7TH INFORMAL ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING ON THE ENVIRONMENT
21 November 2002, Vientiane, Lao PDR:

ASEAN Ministers responsible for environment met on 20th November 2002 at the 7th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment to review regional and global environmental issues and to further enhance collaborative actions to protect the environment. The ASEAN Ministers also met the Environment Ministers or their representatives from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea at their 1st ASEAN+3 Environment Ministers Meeting today to further enhance cooperation within the framework of ASEAN+3 Cooperation.

The Ministers reviewed progress of implementation in the various sectors, including transboundary haze, nature conservation and biodiversity, coastal and marine environment, multilateral environmental agreements, follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and public awareness activities. The Ministers also noted that the newly established ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management would further strengthen cooperation among member countries in research, conservation and
information exchange on integrated water resources management.
The Ministers endorsed the Marine Water Quality Criteria for the ASEAN Region, the ASEAN Criteria for National Marine Protected Areas, and the ASEAN Criteria for Marine Heritage Areas. The Marine Water Quality Criteria sets values for an initial set 17 parameters for the protection of aquatic life and human health, while the Criteria for National Protected Areas and ASEAN Marine Heritage Areas contains criteria for designation and management of existing and new protected areas. These Criteria would ensure concerted national level action to protect the shared marine waters of
ASEAN.

The Ministers designated 2003 as ASEAN Environment Year. The Ministers noted with appreciation the offer of Cambodia to host this event, and agreed on the theme; ASEAN: Together Towards Sustainable Development. The yearlong national and regional level activities will kick off with a regional launch in Siem Reap in Cambodia on 3.3.2003. The ASEAN Environment Year celebrations are held every three years to showcase ASEAN achievements and commitments in environmental protection, and to promote public
awareness in general.

The Ministers reviewed the actions taken to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. The Ministers noted that a majority of ASEAN member countries have obtained national clearance to ratify the ASEAN Agreement. The Ministers agreed to work towards ensuring the entry into force of the Agreement by the date of the Regional launch of the ASEAN Environment Year in early March 2003.

The Ministers also discussed the follow-up activities pertaining to the implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Ministers recognized that sustainable development covers very wide dimensions: economic, social, and environmental protection. The Ministers therefore understood that to ensure the success and meaningful ways of the implementation of sustainable development, ASEAN has to define clear strategies and priorities, which among others, cover the urban
environmental issue, transboundary haze, biodiversity, global trade on forest products for environmental protection, sustainable forest management, and governance in environmental protection at regional level to implement the WSSD outcomes, and agreed to further intensify cooperation in ten priority areas that include among others urban environmental management and governance, sustainable forest management, and trade and environment.

The Ministers hoped that commitments made by developed countries will be realized in order to effectively implement the WSSD outcomes. In this regard to further promote the ASEAN co-operation, the Ministers agreed to prioritise its programs and activities on sustainable development. It was agreed that each member country take a lead in implementing programs/activities in a particular area of concern.

The ASEAN Ministers also held consultations with representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations University and UNDP/Partnership in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) on current and potential areas for collaboration. The ASEAN Ministers also held fruitful discussion with their counterparts from People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The Ministers reviewed national and regional cooperation among ASEAN member
countries, and among the +3 countries. The Ministers noted the commonality of interests in environmental protection, especially those related to global environmental issues, and agreed to further intensify cooperation in the framework of ASEAN+3 cooperation. The ASEAN Ministers expressed appreciation on the current substantial cooperative activities between ASEAN and each of the +3 countries and hoped that these could be further
synergized within the framework of ASEAN+3 cooperation. The Ministers also agreed that consultation visits be made by senior officials of ASEAN to the +3 countries to establish working level contacts with relevant officials and institutions to further implement specific activities agreed upon by the Ministers. The Ministers also agreed to nominate a contact person respectively to the ASEAN Secretariat in order to strengthen the communication among the ASEAN+3.