The 13th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment Join hands for a green and clean ASEAN Community

04/08/2016

   Within the framework of AMME 13, there are a series of relevant meetings including: ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment Meeting; 14^th ASEAN+3 Ministerial Meeting on the Environment; 11^th Meeting of Committee under COP of ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM 11); 11^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

   In the past few years, climate change response and environmental issues of ASEAN countries have been enhanced and achieved remarkable outcomes: the overall environment of ASEAN is maintained and ensured for healthcare and ecosystem; some ASEAN states achieve high rankings on Environment Productivity Index (EPI); ASEAN completed the implementation of cooperation actions on sustainable environment in the Overall Plan of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community during 2009 - 2015… In addition, ASEAN has been receiving precious support and cooperation from partner states, particularly Japan, Korea, and China, contributing to enhance the capacity on environment management and develop policies on sustainable development in each member state.

   Attending the opening ceremony of AMME 13 on October 28^th, 2015, Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng stressed that 2015 marks an important historical milestone for Southeast Asian countries when the ASEAN community is established and becomes an entity for political-security linkage; economic connection; socio-cultural cooperation and responsibility sharing; acts a central role in ensuring peace, stability, security, and development in the region. Particularly, for Việt Nam, 2015 is the celebration of 20 years joining ASEAN. Implementing the ASEAN community vision 2025, Việt Nam commits to continuing to contribute to efforts on regional cooperation with the motto “proactive, active, and responsible”, contributing to develop a united and unified ASEAN and an ASEAN of increasing important roles in the region and in the world.

   At AMME 13, ASEAN states focused on assessing the implementation of environmental cooperation agreements in the region since AMME 12; discussed and agreed at the ASEAN environmental ministerial level on environmental cooperation, relating to 10 contents raised at the Ministerial Meeting (SOM), including: climate change and global warming; nature conservation and biodiversity conservation; water resources management; urban environment management and governance; environment education… At the same time, member states also discussed new cooperation contents, and new initiatives; recommended and suggested solutions to promote ASEAN environmental cooperation in the upcoming time, particularly for the years post 2015 when the ASEAN community is formed; discussed and endorsed the ASEAN Statement on climate change to prepare for the 21^st meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris (France) in December 2015, initiative on statement of agenda on environmental sustainability and climate change post 2015 and Joint Statement of the outcome of the Ministerial meeting.

AMME is organized every 3 years within the ASEAN environmental cooperation mechanism, is organized alternatively among member states to review the implementation of environmental cooperation agreements in the region between the two meetings, and to discuss new cooperation contents; at the same time to recommend and suggest solutions to promote ASEAN cooperation activities on environment in the upcoming time

   After 4 days of active and effective meetings, AMME 13 and relevant meeting closed with many strategic outcomes, contributing to bring environmental protection in ASEAN to a new high level. Accordingly, the Meeting endorsed the ASEAN joint statement on climate change post 2015, submitted to the Chairman of the ASEAN Socio-cultural Community for submitting to the 27^th ASEAN Summit in November 2015; endorsed the nomination of natural wonder Timpoong Hibok-Hibok Mountain (the Philippines) and Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia) as the 36^th and 37^th ASEAN heritage parks respectively; endorsed the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Performance Monitoring Indicators Framework (IWRM)... Particularly, ASEAN member states appreciated the initiative of Việt Nam on developing of a ASEAN joint statement on agenda on environmental sustainability and climate change post 2015, to promote ASEAN environmental cooperation in a comprehensive manner post 2015, covering areas: joint commitment of ASEAN to ensure the linkage, transparency, continuity and effectiveness; implementation of a comprehensive plan of ASEAN socio-cultural community towards a green and clean ASEAN community; ASEAN program on sustainable management of peatland ecosystems (2014 - 2020),  ASEAN Agreement on transboundary haze pollution, strategic plan on biodiversity during 2011 - 2020 and Aichi targets on biodiversity, integrated water resources management.

   At the COP11 of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution within the framework of AMME13, ministers and heads of ASEAN states agreed to promulgate many important documents such as: Guideline to implement the monitoring, assessment and coordination to respond to emergency within the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution; approval of the development of ASEAN Coordination Centre on controlling transboundary haze pollution in Indonesia, implementation of humanity support activities in risk management to ensure effective and timely response to fires. At the same time, member states committed to developing a roadmap of ASEAN haze non-pollution, of which identifying the timeframe and activities so member states can achieve an ASEAN of no haze in the end of 2020.

   In addition, member states highly appreciated supports of neighbouring countries like China, Japan and Korea in addressing environmental issues of the ASEAN region in the past few years. At the ASEAN+3 meeting, ASEAN and partners together committed to strengthening cooperation, finalizing legislations and policies; investing on environmental improvement, energy saving, enhancing awareness for communities on environmental protection, contributing to support ASEAN states to achieve the target of forming a ASEAN community in the end of 2015■

Giáng Hương