Event reports
The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment, the first high-level meeting of senior officials and ministers of environment with over 30 national governments in Asia-Pacific took place in Bangkok from 5-8 September 2017. Under the topic “Towards a resource efficient and pollution free Asia-Pacific”, UN member states reviewed national and regional implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identified key priorities among environmental issues in the region and affirmed their continuing commitment to ecological sustainability.
The day before the inter-governmental meeting, the Civil Society Organizations’ Forum (CSO Forum) on the Environment, with financial support by KAS RECAP, was held by the UN Environment (UNEP), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Thailand Environment Institute at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. More than 80 non-government, nonprofit making and grassroots groups’ representatives from different sectors and countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Pacific met at that occasion. It provided a platform for networking, strengthening their efforts to shape the regional development agenda, and for putting forward their recommendations to governments.
The hosts of the CSO Forum, including Mr Stefanos Fotiou, Environment and Development Division’s Director at the UN’s ESCAP, Dr Isabelle Louis, the UN Environment Asia and the Pacific office’s Deputy Regional Director, Prof Padermsak Jarayabhand, Acting President of the Thailand Environment Institute and Mr Alexander Juras, the Civil Society Unit’s Chief/UNEP opened the event. They highlighted the importance of joint efforts between civil society and governments to tackle the crossborder pollution and to achieve resource efficiency while pursing substantial economic growth.
The one-day forum was divided into two parts: thematic panel discussions and workshops for drafting a joint statement to be presented at the ministerial summit. The attendees shared concerns over the seriousness of various kinds of pollution in their respective countries. They pointed out the urgent need for effective coordination between stakeholders from the governments, private sector and UN organizations to address the problem. A wide range of sustainability-related issues had been discussed. In addition to the presentations and discussions, many organisations presented their works at community, local, national and global level. They also exchanged experience on how to engage successfully in their societies and how to overcome country-specific barriers in implementation of SDGs.
As an outcome of the forum, a joint statement with concrete recommendations on advancing the sustainable development agenda in the region, was reached. It was unanimously recognized that “a Pollution-Free Planet cannot be achieved unless we comprehensively address the systemic issues in a development justice framework, expediting transitions in economic, social including gender, ecological and redistributive justice, as well as accountability to the people.” (CSO Statement)
In the following four days after the forum, the civil society members had official meetings with Asian countries’ government delegates. Speaking on behalf of diverse constituencies including NGOs (i.e. women, youth and children, farmers, etc.), they draw the political decision makers’ attention to impacts of pollution on ordinary people and efficiency in natural resource management.
Remark: The views expressed by the civil society organizations do not necessarily reflect the views of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.