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ASIAN Legislators supported/ urged to coordinate and strengthen action
Bangkok, November 15, 2000 - Despite progress in several important areas, the environment in Asia and the Pacific continues to deteriorate, parliamentarians from around the region were told this week. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reviewed progress on declarations made at previous Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians Conferences on Environment and Development (APPCED), at the 8th General Assembly, which ended in Hyderabad, India today. Ethics and public education ? the theme of the four-day conference ? sits beneath the language of economics, science and politics. "There are signs of optimism and of looming environmental crisis," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer in a message to the delegates. "We have the knowledge and the technology, but do we have the political will to put them to work for a sustainable future?" Mr Toepfer said parliamentarians had a crucial role in shaping the policy and legislative framework for sustainable development. "It is timely to probe for deeper insights into societies' connections with the environment," he said. In its review, UNEP found progress had been made on the transfer of environmentally sound technologies, particularly legislation encouraging cleaner production, environmental impact assessments and foreign investment. A broad range of initiatives, resources and mechanisms had also been initiated to facilitate their uptake, parliamentarians heard. The review also identified progress in legislation regarding tourism, but identified the need for strengthened partnerships between industry, government and tourists if it is to be put on a sustainable path. Waste management remained a significant challenge, with the region producing 1.5 million metric tones of municipal solid waste each day, an amount expected to double by 2025. Economic incentives, reduction and recycling initiatives and private sector participation were needed to complement legislative approaches. UNEP said a Regional Action Programme, adopted at September's Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Japan, and a process being initiated to review progress in regard to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, would help channel future environmental initiatives. UNEP called for a pro-sustainable development agenda, integrating activites to address poverty reduction, economic growth, social mobilization and resource conservation. "It has been said the struggle to attain a sustainable future for our planet will be either won or lost in Asia," Mr Toepfer told parliamentarians. "I urge you to continue building on the gains made thus far and take heart in your achievements." For further information contact: Tim Higham, Regional Information Officer, UNEP/ROAP, Bangkok, Thailand, tel: 662-288-2127, email: higham.unescap@un.org Or Tore J. Brevik Spokesman/Director of Communications and Public Information, UNEP, P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi; tel.: (254 2) 623292; fax: 623692; email: cpiinfo@unep.org UNEP News Release ROAP/00/30
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