|
Asia and Pacific Regional Networks |
|
|
|
ASPA-INECE At the Fourth International
Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, held in Chiang Mai,
Thailand in 1996, strong support was generated for the development of regional
networks within the broader framework of INECE. In September 1998, UNEP, in collaboration with SACEP, organised
the Regional Workshop for the Establishment of an Asia Pacific Regional
Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. At this meeting, principles on the
development of the Asia-Pacific International Network on Environmental
Compliance and Enforcement (ASPA-INECE) were established. These principles included ideas on how the
network should be structured and operationalized through regional and
sub-regional networks. The
sub-regional networks include SACEP (South Asia Cooperative Environment
Programme), ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), NEAREP
(Northeast Asia Regional Environment Program), and a network of Pacific Island
countries. Following this, the
recommendations and conclusions of the Regional Workshop, including the
principles, were endorsed by the participants at the Fifth International
Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, held in Monterey,
California, in November 1998. At the
Conference, there was discussion about the planned activities for ASPA-INECE
and broad agreement on the delineation of the sub-regional networks by
country. Details on the planned
activities of ASPA-INECE as well as more information on the sub-regional
networks can be found in the Proceedings from the Fifth International
Conference. SACEP In September 1998, the South
Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) SACEP collaborated with UNEP
to organize the Regional Workshop for the Establishment of an Asia-Pacific
Regional Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. At the workshop, participants shared their
experiences and discussed the issues surrounding environmental compliance and
enforcement in their respective countries.
Building on the momentum from this meeting and the Fifth International
INECE Conference, SACEP, along with UNEP and the Dutch Ministry of Housing,
Spatial Planning, and the Environment, participated in an organizational
meeting at the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok in
January 1999. The goal of the meeting
was to develop the framework for a South Asian sub-regional network. The network will build upon existing
projects and programmes such as UNEP’s Network for Environmental Training at
the Tertiary Level in Asia-Pacific (NETTLAP) and the SACEP/UNEP/NORAD Joint
Project on Environmental Law and Policy in South Asia. This sub-regional network will support the
efforts of ASPA-INECE. Some of the
activities identified for the network include an information database on
environmental compliance and enforcement, training programs for government
officials, inspector exchange programs, and the development of training
manuals. A project proposal for the
new sub-regional network has been developed and will be presented before a
meeting of Senior Environmental Officials of Countries of South Asia
scheduled for August 1999 in Sri Lanka.
Once reviewed and endorsed by the Senior Environmental Officials,
SACEP, with the assistance of UNEP, the US-EPA, and the Dutch Ministry of
Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, will submit the proposal for
the network to several international funding agencies including the World
Bank.
|