Forum: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Issue: Establishing mechanisms for sustainable development to ensure the protection of ASEAN s environment Student Officer: Htet Htet Aye (Sophie) Position: President Introduction The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, is a a geo-political and economic organization which consists of ten countries located in Southeast Asia. The significant aims of the association are to ensure protection of regional peace and stability and promote peaceful negotiations between the member nations (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). By 2020, ASEAN has a vision to become outward looking, peaceful nations with stability and prosperity while cooperating together with other nations to achieve dynamic development in the economy. Because of this, green" ASEAN nation was envisioned, the goal which could only be achieved through the means of establishing mechanisms for sustainable development to ensure the protection of the region s environment. ASEAN countries not only consist of more than 48% of forest zones, but they also have marine environments which are highly productive with a diversity of aquatic species. Moreover, they produce diverse natural resources such as teak and gems. However, due to the lack of resource management and massive economic development, ASEAN s environment is slowly deteriorating because of pollution, environmental degradation and transboundary haze pollution. Therefore, in order to sustain and protect our environment, ASEAN nations should cooperate together and establish mechanism to ensure the protection of ASEAN s environment. If the ASEAN regions fail to do this, the economy and citizens lives will be highly impacted and another major environment issue such as global warming will be created. Definition of Key Terms ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) was established on August 8, 1967, which currently consists ten member states including Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines. ASEAN Vision 2020 Research Report: Page 1! of 8!
A goal set by the ASEAN for the naitons to become a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality by 2020. ASEAN regions wish to establish interconnecting arrangements in the field of energy and utilities for electricity, natural gas and water within ASEAN through the ASEAN Power Grid and a Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline and Water Pipeline, and promote cooperation in energy efficiency and conservation, as well as the development of new and renewable energy resources, enhance food security and international competitiveness of food, agricultural and forest products, to make ASEAN a leading producer of these products, and promote the forestry sector as a model in forest management, conservation and sustainable development and enhance human resource development in all sectors of the economy through quality education, upgrading of skills and capabilities and training. Environmental degradation The process in which the environment is being deteriorated Transboundary Haze Pollution Transboundary haze pollution is when the dust and air cover up the atmosphere of the nation. Although it originates from a place, it can spread widely and quickly to the other areas through means of air. History Establishment of ASEAN On August 8, 1967, the leaders of five nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand came together in Bangkok, Thailand and created the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by signing the ASEAN declaration. The declaration encourages the cooperation in economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields and the promotion of regional peace and stability while protecting the countries freedom to become an independent nation. In the 1990s, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia became a part of ASEAN. Due to the hatred against Western nations, ASEAN established ASEAN free trade area after forming trade alliance with China, Japan and Korea. Aim and Purpose Research Report: Page 2! of 8!
ASEAN s aim and purpose is "to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development, promote regional peace and stability, promote assistance to each other in the form of training and collaborate effectively for the greater use of agriculture and industries ("Overview"). Creation of ASEAN Vision 2020 The ASEAN Vision 2020 was adopted on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN in order to become a Zone of Freedom, Peace and Neutrality. 1985 ASEAN Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources This agreement was created to emphasize the significance of the conservation and management of natural resources. In 1983, the draft agreement was formed at the sixth meeting of the ASEAN Expert Group on the environment. After six nations such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand approved this agreement, this was agreement but hasn t come in force until today. 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution After the forest fires which occured in Indonesia, ASEAN members drafted the Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to reduce haze pollution within the ASEAN nations. This came into the force in November 2003 with the agreement of seven out of ten member nations. Key Issues Several issues should be taken into consideration in order to establish mechanism for sustainable development to protect ASEAN regions. Environmental degradation Environmental degradation is when the environment is deteriorated due to the depletion of natural resources such as water, soil and air. Over the past few years, the ASEAN regions lack of management in these natural resources triggered major problems as the population and pollution increased and economy grews rapidly. For instance, soil erosion become a major problem in Laos since the country itself lacks an efficient water supply system. Similarly, air pollution is a major problem in several ASEAN nations as the large transportation systems of the countries produce surplus amount of contaminated air. Not only that, water pollution is also becoming a major issue, especially in Indonesia. It has been estimated that 30% of the residents do not have access to the clean water as the large amount of water is contaminated by improper disposal of plastics, trash and waste water. Research Report: Page 3! of 8!
Transboundary haze pollution Haze pollution is a phenomenon where smoke, dust and other air particles cover up the atmosphere of the nation. ASEAN nations are prone to the frequent hazes which are caused by the forest fire or burning of the trash to clear more land area. Originating from Indonesia since 1991, the haze pollution widely spread to neighboring countries which poses both serious health and safety concerns to the citizens. Depletion of natural resources As the myriad of natural resources are consumed to create different goods, the natural resources are rapidly depleting. The main causes of this issue are technological development and rapid urbanization. For example, in Cambodia, as the massive amount of chemical disposal into the lake, the natural fishery habitat was threatened. Similarly, as the mining industry grows in Myanmar, the biodiversity of the country was lost since the resources are being depleted. Excessive extraction in forestry, agriculture and mining led to the major environmental issues such as droughts and flood; therefore, this issue should be tackled by establishing certain mechanisms. Major Parties Involved and Their Views ASEAN Cooperation on Environment ASEAN Cooperation on Environment focuses in protecting the ASEAN nations environment by hosting myriads of conferences which tackle various environmental issues such as the depletion of natural resources and transboundary haze pollution. Not only that, but this organization also promote green and clean environment by creating blueprints and resolutions and making agreements between nations. Recently, ASEAN Cooperation on Environment hosted a conference in Bangkok, Thailand regarding the issue of transboundary haze pollution. The ministers of the nations reviewed the past actions and created new initiative to promote regional cooperation against transboundary pollution. ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities This group was created to improve the qualities of the living environment in the sustainable cities. It focuses on cleaning land, water and air; the primary purpose is to manage urban environment. ASEAN plus three ministers Meeting Research Report: Page 4! of 8!
ASEAN plus 3 Ministers Meeting is the type of meeting where the ASEAN nations and the three countries: China, Japan and the Republic of Korea gather together to promote environmental cooperation between the nations. Due to these meetings which are hosted annually, the ASEAN countries were able to improve some parts of the environmental issue such as wasting the usage of energy and etc. Vietnam The capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi, known as one of the most polluted cities, has exceeded the acceptable level of pollution. Therefore, this nation should take some actions within the nation in order to reduce the pollution. Indonesia Indonesia, a country with over 17,000 islands, is the country which originated haze pollution. Since Indonesia started it, Indonesia should pay close attention to its environment. The government should protect its nation by restricting slash and burn methods within the nations and reducing air pollution through various means. Timeline of Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events Date Events 1967 Establishment of ASEAN 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution 2005 Malaysian Haze: A week-long choking smog-like haze 2006 Southeast Asian Haze: An event caused by the slash and burn in Indonesia which spread to several other countries Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue ASEAN has attempted to solve these environmental issues through different declarations and resolutions that are trying to implement commitments to multilateral and regional sustainable development, to adopt a holistic approach in fostering regional cooperation, to expand on ASEAN Initiative on Environmentally Sustainable Cities and etc. On the other hand, working closely with international community to better understand and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, intensifying cooperation on the joint research, development and deployment of low emission technologies for the cleaner use of fossil fuel and improving energy efficiency were suggested to Research Report: Page 5! of 8!
alleviate the issues regarding to climate change. Moreover, for conserving natural resources, the resolution states that the countries should conserve [our] rich biodiversity, promote and support the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. In 2002, after Indonesian forest fires, ASEAN members drafted an agreement regarding to transboundary haze pollution. Since seven of the ten members agreed to this agreement, it was brought into action in 2003. However, due to the failure of this agreement, the Malaysian Haze 2005 and Southeast Asian Haze 2005 were caused. There are some organizations that try to tackle these environmental issues in the ASEAN nations. For instance, Clean Air for smaller cities Project implemented in twelve of the cities of the eight ASEAN nations. The project attempts to reduce contaminated air through the means of trainings and various inventories. Moreover, ASEAN set up conferences such as ASEAN Conference of Biodiversity and various meetings on Transboundary Haze pollution to create a green" environment. These conferences are gradually helping to improve the environment; however, the results are not evident. Although these certain resolutions, declarations and conferences were created in precise manners, more mechanism should be established and laws should be enforced strictly in order to have a sustainable development in the nations. Furthermore, to achieve a green' ASEAN and reach the goals of ASEAN Vision 2020, the ASEAN nations should cooperate to expand the conferences to lecture more citizens of the nations. Therefore, these recent attempts should be reinforced or redesigned to have more successful outcomes. Possible Solutions Legislative measures Every nation should set a legislation system to preserve biodiversity such as forests and fisheries and promote sustainable development. It must include the laws prohibiting the deforestation and environmental degradation. Moreover, a new set of laws must be implemented regarding to the disposal of different resources and materials. Slash and burn method should be restricted while disposal of waste water or chemicals into the ocean or river should be opposed. The government should enforce the laws strictly by cooperating with other nations and using high technological devices to track illegal actions that would happen the environment. Education measures The government should work together with the local NGOs to educate local citizens about the disposal of trash and plastics. If more citizens realize the negative consequences of these small actions, then both air and water pollution can be reduced effectively. Furthermore, the government Research Report: Page 6! of 8!
should promote car pulling within the community to reduce air pollution since air pollution is mainly caused by the vehicles. These kinds of solutions must be addressed in order to solve the environmental issues. Bibliography 1. "6 ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FACING SOUTHEAST ASIA (AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP)." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. < http://matadornetwork.com/change/6- environmental-challenges-facing-southeast/>. 2. "ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability."Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN. Web. 27 Jan 2016. <http://www.asean.org/news/item/asean-declaration-onenvironmental-sustainability>. 3. "ASEAN Cooperation on Transboundary Haze Pollution."ASEAN Cooperation on Environment. ASEAN. Web. 27 Jan 2016. <http://environment.asean.org/asean-cooperation-ontransboundary-haze- pollution/>. 4. "ASEAN Vision 2020." Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN. Web. 21 Jan 2016. <http://www.asean.org/news/item/asean-vision-2020>. 5. "ASEAN Youth pledge to protect the environment."philippine Information Agency. Philippine Information Agency, 05 Dec 2013. Web. 05 Jan 2016. <http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php? article=2131386212140>. 6. "Cambodia hosts ASEAN environment ministerial meeting."cleanbiz.asia. CleanBiz Asia Ltd,, 19 Oct 2011. Web. 15 Jan 2016. <http://www.cleanbiz.asia/news/cambodia-hosts-aseanenvironment-ministerial- meeting#.uslmuvqw2_q> 7. "GDI: Malaysia second most dynamic in Asean." The Star Online. Star Publications, 16 Sept 2013. Web. 15 Jan 2016. <http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2013/09/16/ GDI-Malaysia-second- most-dynamic-in-asean.aspx/>. 8. "Hanoi most polluted city in Southeast Asia: expert." Thanh Nein News.Com. Thanhniennews.com., 22 Mar 2012. Web. 27 Jan 2016. <http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/ pages/20120322-hanoi-most- polluted-city-in-southeast-asia.asp&xgt>. 9. "Lao People's Democratic Republic: Environment and Social Program [Loan 1867-LAO]." Asian Development Bank. Asian Development Bank. Web. 25 Jan 2016. <http://www.adb.org/ documents/lao-peoples- democratic-republic-environment-and-social-program-loan-1867-lao>. 10. "Overview." Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN, n.d. Web. 27 Jan 2016. <http:// www.asean.org/asean/about-asean/overview>. Research Report: Page 7! of 8!
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