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GMS Sector Activities
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| YEAR | DATE | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | July | 14th Annual Meeting of the Subregional Working Group on Environment (1-2 July 2008) |
| January | Second GMS Environment Ministers's Meeting (28-30 January 2008) | |
| 2007 | June | 13th Meeting of the Subregional Working Group on Environment (WGE-13) (13-15 June 2007) |
| 2006 | April | International Symposium on Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiatives (27-28 April 2006) |
| Inauguration of the Greater Mekong Subregion Environment Operations Center (26 April 2006) | ||
| 12th Meeting of the Subregional Working Group on Environment (WGE-12)(25-26 April 2006) | ||
| Strategic Environment Framework Phase II (SEF II) Final Workshop (24 April 2006) | ||
| February | Partners Meeting (23 February 2006) | |
| 2005 | May | GMS Environment Ministers Meeting, Shanghai, PRC (25 May 2005) |
| March | GMS Countries Firm Up Components of the Core Environment Program (CEP) and Gear Up for the GMS Environment Ministers Meeting (15-16 March 2005) | |
| 11th Meeting of the Subregional Working Group on Environment (WGE-11) (15-16 March 2005) | ||
| February | GMS Biodiversity Corridor Initiative (BCI) Inception Workshop (17 February 2005) | |
| 2004 | September | GMS Countries Agree to Strengthen Subregional Institutions and Programs for More Effective Response to Environmental Challenges (23-24 September 2004) |
| Workshop on Innovative Practices for Sustainable Sloping Lands and Watershed Management | ||
| April | Launching of GMS Atlas (19 April 2004) | |
| Workshop on Environment (Preparing and Implementing National Sustainable Development Strategies) | ||
| 2003 | December | GMS Countries Meet to Further Advance Environmental Cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (1-2 December 2003) |
| August | GMS Strategic Environment Framework- Phase II (SEF II) Workshop Concluded in Manila (20-21 August 2003) | |
| ADB Holds Expert Meeting to Build GMS Capacity for Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, Manila (18-19 August 2003) | ||
| 2002 | April | Working Group on Environment Agrees to Pursue Follow-up Project on Strategic Environment Framework |
Video Documentary: Saving Cambodia's Great Lake
The 13th meeting of the Working Group on Environment (WGE-13) held in Guilin, PRC on 13-15 June 2007, reviewed and endorsed the revised work plans for the Strategic Environmental Assessment, Biodiversity Conservation Corridor Initiative and Environmental Performance Assessment activities under the Core Environment Program for the next six-month period. It was agreed that the WGE would guide the process of establishing a sustainable organization that is owned by the GMS countries, including the timing of discussions of future institutional options. The meeting agreed on new activities in response to climate change issues such as: the proposed Biodiversity Conference in Kunming in October 2007; rapid assessments of carbon neutral (energy efficient) transport corridor concept; rural waste management; and risks and adaptation from impacts of climate change.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
The Twelfth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Environment (WGE-12) was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 25-26 April 2006.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Thailand hosted the meeting in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Co-chairing the meeting were
The WGE-12 meeting was divided into the Technical Session held on April 25, and the Formal Session held on April 26. The Technical Session saw presentations from the GMS Environment Operations Center, the GMS countries, and the CEP partners on planned and proposed activities which were extensively reviewed and discussed by the participants.
The Formal Session reviewed ongoing activities, specifically pertaining to Strategic Enviroment Framework Phase II, and tackled the status, endorsements, and outstanding issues of the CEP for year one. WGE-12 ended with a list of resolutions and items for immediate action.
Read the WGE-12 summary of proceedings [ PDF: 36kb | 8 pages ] and WGE-12 resolutions [ PDF: 12kb | 1 page ].
The 11th Meeting of the Working Group on Environment (WGE-11) held in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 15-16 March 2005, agreed on the major components of the GMS core environment program (CEP), to be endorsed as a development strategy to conserve GMS natural systems in the forthcoming GMS Environment Ministers Meeting in Shanghai in May 2005.
The components of the CEP include the
The meeting also agreed to the creation of the GMS Environment Operations Center in Bangkok to coordinate the work of the CEP and act as its Secretariat. For the BCI, the WGE-11 meeting agreed on a list of high value biodiversity conservation and protected areas to prepare the BCI framework and action plan.
The meeting noted ongoing efforts to secure cofinancing for regional environmental initiatives; and hoped that discussions with partners would soon reach the concluding stages. An important outcome of the meeting was the agreement on the structure and agenda of the GMS Environment Ministers Meeting, a three-day event comprising the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on 24 May and the Environment Ministers Meeting on 25-26 May. It was agreed to hold the 12th WGE meeting in PRC, after consultations are held with the GMS members.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
The 10th Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Environment (WGE) held in Hanoi on 23-24 September 2004 reached key agreements for making environmental cooperation more effective in addressing subregional sustainability and environmental protection concerns.
First, WGE representatives agreed to launch a core environmental program (CEP) by 2006, to protect critical ecosystems within or affected by GMS economic corridors. This will involve improving the WGE's capacity to coordinate with other GMS working groups, initiate regional TA programs, and maintain/ disseminate knowledge, as well as establishing a suitable institutional mechanism (such as the Environment Operations Center or EOC) to implement the CEP and provide interface with other stakeholders.
Second, as part of the CEP, the WGE also endorsed the proposed Biodiversity Conservation Corridor (BCC) Initiative for consideration of GMS Ministers in December 2004. This initiative is designed to ensure long-term conservation of high value ecological processes, biodiversity and threatened species, and involves promoting the development of the biodiversity conservation corridor (BCC) strategic framework and implementing a plan of action to protect these resources by 2006. The WGE members also recognized the support from various development partners and looked forward to their future contributions in developing innovative and sustainable financing arrangements for the CEP.
Finally, the meeting noted PRC's suggestion to convene a GMS Environmental Ministers meeting prior to the GMS Summit to consider appropriate initiatives for consideration at the GMS Summit.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
The Ninth Meeting of the Subregional Working Group on Environment (WGE-9) was held in Phuket, Thailand on 1-2 December 2003, to discuss steps to further advance cooperation among GMS countries in the environment sector, under the overall framework of the GMS Program. The meeting was hosted by the Department of Environmental Quality Protection (DEQP), Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MONRE) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The WGE-9 meeting discussed the outcome of the recently concluded 12th GMS Ministerial Conference in Dali, People's Republic of China (PRC), and discussed the work program to advance the Strategic Environment Framework (SEF). Now in its second phase, the SEF II project will develop national and subregional performance assessment systems and build capacities to implement these systems. The WGE-9 meeting also discussed country reports, which enabled the dissemination and sharing of information on GMS country developments in the area of environmental policy and governance.
The WGE-9 meeting also discussed the programs of the MRC, UNEP, and the Universities Partnership for Transboundary Water, to help improve coordination among GMS environmental programs. Consistent with the call of the Dali Ministerial Meeting, the WGE-9 explored arrangements to deepen the involvement of development partners in the GMS Program. WGE members also gave their views on the Environment Road Map, which will chart future GMS environment initiatives, and the proposed TA to build capacity of GMS countries for sustainable development.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
The Inception Workshop on National and Subregional Environmental Performance Assessment Project in the GMS, was held on 20-21 August 2003 in ADB Headquarters in Manila. The Project, also known as SEF II, is a follow up to the completed GMS Strategic Environment Framework (SEF I) project which aimed to address transboundary environmental concerns arising from development programs in the Mekong subregion. The ongoing Workshop for SEF II was held to firm up the work plan and inputs, outputs and activities to develop the subregion's environmental performance assessment systems and capacities. In his welcome remarks, Mr. C. R. Rajendran, Director, MKAE, noted that extensive work was required in setting up environment performance systems. However, he stressed that functioning institutional mechanisms for coordination under the GMS Program, as well as the understanding by GMS countries of the importance of establishing suitable monitoring indicators bode well for the success of SEF II efforts.
The Workshop agreed to endorse in principle, the proposed implementation plan for the SEF II project, subject to revision of the items especially concerning the project management office, budget and consultants, and in accordance with the comments and suggestions made by participants. After finalization of the implementation plan, the workshop noted the next steps for the project which included the fielding of consultants and the holding of the second Experts Meeting in Kunming in November 2003.
For the entire proceedings, email: gms@adb.org
An Expert Meeting on Development of Institutional Mechanisms for Environmental Management and Sustainable Development in the GMS was held on 18-19 August 2003 in Manila, to come up with a work plan to build the capacity of GMS countries in formulating and implementing their respective National Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDSs). The development of NSDSs was one of the priorities recommended to implement the Johannesburg Declaration and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), made by the Heads of States and Governments in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg in September 2002. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Rajat Nag, Director General of the Mekong Department.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Liqun Jin, ADB Vice President for Operations Group 1, noted ADB's policies to achieve its vision of sustainable development for the Asia-Pacific region, namely, the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Environment Policy and the Water Policy. He cited the extensive cooperation achieved by the GMS countries under the GMS Program, as an important factor that will contribute to the success of efforts to develop institutions and processes for joint environmental action.
The Meeting reaffirmed the GMS countries' strong commitment to sustainable development (SD) principles and poverty reduction objectives, and noted the need for meaningful stakeholder involvement and donor support for the processes of SD. The meeting also emphasized the need for regional cooperation to address transboundary impacts of development activities. Taking note of proposed actions during the Meeting, ADB committed to work with other development partners in supporting the development of appropriate institutional structures and capacity building required for SD initiatives.
For the entire proceedings, email: gms@adb.org
The GMS Working Group on Environment (WGE) members who attended the Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on Environment (WGE-8), held in Yangon, Myanmar, endorsed the follow up proposal for the SEF, prepared by ADB as endorsed in the last GMS Ministerial Conference (Yangon, November 2001). The technical assistance proposal would in essence bridge environment data gaps through more uniform standards and better data disaggregation, and included preparation of preliminary tools for performance assessment, capacity development, as well as a project timetable and budget. The WGE members also supported the idea to seek GEF Block B grant funding for the detailed project estimated to cost $30 million; in so doing, the WGE agreed to assist ADB in obtaining formal concurrence on the proposal by the national GEF focal points.
The Meeting also achieved a first by holding a joint session with the GMS Tourism Working Group (TWG). The session tackled the need for enhancing the preservation of subregion's cultural heritage, and discussed issues of sustainable management of tourism/ cultural resources, including the critical training requirements. Another important item discussed was the forthcoming GMS Summit, and the preparatory actions required for the Summit. A GMS Atlas was proposed for presentation to the GMS Leaders during the Summit. This Atlas would cover issues on poverty, resource degradation and environmental trends, and would focus on GMS environment projects and up-to-date maps. WGE members endorsed the idea for the Atlas and expressed willingness to contribute to its preparation, which would be coordinated UNEP Regional Resource Center (RRC).
As in the past, WGE-8 discussed the findings key GMS environment projects, namely, SEF I (completed) and the ongoing Subregional Environmental Monitoring and information System Phase II (SEMIS II). The meeting further discussed the status of ongoing major programs of two agencies, MRC and UNEP, whose extensive work in the environment sector provided substantial support to the WGE's program initiatives. Lastly, the WGE representatives presented on recent environmental policy and program developments in their respective countries, to give a general idea of the subregion's progress towards achieving sustainable development.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 50kb | 12 pages ].
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