Third Meeting of the Environment Working Group (EWG)

Third Meeting of the Environment Working Group (EWG)
7-8 July 2004; Bangkok, Thailand

Post workshop Statement
Background
Objectives
Expected Outputs

Target Participants
Resource Speakers
Workshop Documents

Post workshop Statement

The Third Meeting of the Environment Working Group (EWG) under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program was held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 7-8 July 2004.

The EWG discussed the preliminary findings of the on-going regional technical assistance (RETA 6159) on air quality management (AQM) for SASEC countries. The major issues discussed included: the need for systematic air quality monitoring; the adequacy of institutional capacity and data to support air quality management; information exchange on best practices in AQM; and the possibility of harmonization of air pollution policies in the subregion to promote better air quality management. Under RETA 6159, ADB will also work with SASEC countries to help establish a network for information sharing and cooperation. Moreover, a SASEC AQM website will be developed with the assistance of the Clean Air Initiative (CAI) Asia Secretariat.

The EWG also unanimously agreed to conduct a study on "Review of Legislation, Policy and Implementation Practices for Hazardous Waste Management", covering treatment and disposal of batteries, biomedical wastes and e-waste. This project is expected to be implemented in 2005.

The Fourth EWG meeting is scheduled to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in mid 2005.

Background

The Environment Working Group in its meeting in June 2002, endorsed a total of five studies to be conducted, to wit, in their order of priority:

Regional air quality management
Regional capacity building and networking of experts in South Asia
A knowledge base to improve monitoring of freshwater pollution
The trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes
A South Asian conservation and sustainable development corridor.

A TA (RETA 6159) was approved on December 19, 2003 to undertake the Regional Air Quality Management Project. The TA was implemented starting in February 2004.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting are to discuss:

the preliminary findings of the technical assistance on Regional Air Quality Management Project
major issues and possible timeframe in implementing the four other prioritized environment projects
new project proposals to address environmental problems in the subregion

Focal persons from each member-country will also present the current state of the environment, including the actions taken or need to be taken to address existing or emerging environmental concerns.