UNEP ROAP

New Indicators Released to guide Sustainable Development in Asia-Pacific 2nd UNEP Subregional Environment Policy Dialogue Convenes in Bangkok
Press briefing – 13.00, Wednesday, November 17, Plaza Athenee Hotel

Bangkok, November 16, 2004 - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will tomorrow release indicators to assist countries of Asia-Pacific to measure their progress towards sustainable development goals.

Published in simple, graphical form they allow policy makers to use benchmarks and assess trends in 30 different economic, social and environmental areas.

Staff at UNEP’s Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific combed dozens of technical reports to obtain indicators such as population level, standard of living, availability of clean water, percentage of forest cover, air pollutant emissions and number of threatened species.

UNEP Deputy Executive Director Shafqat Kakakhel said indicators were important tools to assess well being and performance against the targets set in the UN Millennium Development Goals, at other international summits and against national plans. “Like our Global Environment Outlook reports these indicators tell us that we are on a unsustainable development path and time is running out for a well planned transition to policies that will ensure long term well being,” he said.

Overall the indicators show progress in economic performance, poverty reduction and human health, but declines in the quality of land, air, water and biodiversity resources.

The reports have been published for each of the five sub-regions of Asia-Pacific and will be released during UNEP’s second Subregional Environmental Policy Dialogue (SEPD) meeting, being held in Bangkok tomorrow (November 17).

The SEPD panel comprises a government representative and a respected civil society person from the Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, Northeast Asia and the South Pacific sub-regions - each of which has an existing intergovernmental process, such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - to develop environmental policy.

The SEPD process was initiated by UNEP last year to engage government and civil society in discussions about how to prioritize responses to the environmental issues facing the region.

This year’s dialogue, hosted by the Government of Thailand and chaired by Mr Kakakhel and Thailand Minister for Environment and Natural Resources Mr Suwit Khunkitti, will pay particular attention to the role of technology support and capacity building in improving environmental performance. It is also sharing information on several regional initiatives to strengthen the environmental agenda: China’s ‘circular economy’ and Japan’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) approaches and the waste management policies being adopted in the South Pacific. A strategy to combat the escalating problem of e-wastes – by-products and end-of-life products of the mobile telecommunications and computer boom - is being advocated by Thailand, on behalf of the ASEAN.

The meeting coincides with the opening of the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Bangkok being attended by 5000 environmental activists from around the world, under the theme People and Nature – Only One World this week.

Views from the dialogue will also feed into UNEP’s Governing Council – a global gathering of the environment ministers in Nairobi, Kenya, next February.

The SEPD meeting also provides an opportunity to review UNEP’s programme of work in the region, coordinated by its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. UNEP Regional Director Surendra Shrestha said the office’s focus was on science and assessment, policy advice and capacity building. Knowledge management and partnerships were also important elements of the strategy, to avoid duplication of effort and to build synergy between different agencies’ efforts and country approaches, he said.

“The indicator reports show there is often a shortage of reliable scientific data on which to base assessments about environment and development progress. This is a starting point which UNEP will use to assist countries to further develop monitoring and assessment capacity,” Mr Shrestha said.

Key findings from the Environmental Indicator Reports:

South Asia:

This report highlights that South Asia has registered an economic growth rate averaging 5.2 percent during 1990-2000 and has the potential to become a leading economic block in Asia and the world in the decades ahead.
Poverty is the greatest challenge facing South Asia with 40 percent of world’s poor living in the sub-region. The sub-region is also faced with overpopulation and exhibits a population growth rate higher than the world average. Overpopulation and poverty are inter-linked and require substantial mitigation measures.
Land degradation is a major problem in all South Asia countries causing negative impacts on arable land and posing a threat to food security.
Water quality in rivers across South Asia has been consistently deteriorating and needs major interventions. Water availability per capita has been decreasing in most countries, which may seriously affect economic and social development.
Air quality has deteriorated in major cities in South Asia in the past decade.
South Asia is the home of wide variety of terrestrial and marine biodiversity. But declining forests covers has lead to loss of natural habitat for species of plants, animals and birds, and needs considerable conservation programme.

Southeast Asia:

This report highlights that the 1997-98 Asian economy crisis adversely affected the economies of this region. This led to decreased GDP growth rate and increased poverty in the countries affected by the crisis.
The report also shows that the population growth rate in Southeast Asia was slightly higher than the world average for the same period. Southeast Asia will be home to three of the mega-cities of the world by 2010 – Jakarta, Metro Manila and Bangkok.
Deteriorating urban environment is an issue of concern in this sub-region. Smog, low air quality, inadequate sewage and sanitation facilities are some of the problems plaguing urban development in this sub-region.
Southeast Asia remains one of the most heavily forested regions of the world and is home to a wide diversity of animals and plants. But forest area has decreased for all the countries in the sub-region, except Singapore where it has remained constant and Vietnam where it has increased. Forest fires have been a major cause of transboundary air pollution.
This sub-region has shown initiative in regional co-operation by signing the agreement on Transboundary Haze pollution. Protected land in Southeast Asia showed slight increment during the 1990s.

South Pacific:

This report highlights that South Pacific has the lowest population of all the sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific. South Pacific is economically and culturally a diverse sub-region consisting of developed countries such as Australia and New Zealand and smaller island nations with developing economies. The smaller island nations are being challenged by rapid urbanisation. These countries have fragile ecologies and it is imperative that the urbanisation process is tempered with awareness about the environment and safeguards to protect the natural environment along with improving living standards.
This region also possesses great marine biodiversity. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest system of coral reefs in the world. This marine biodiversity is being threatened by increasing population, urbanisation and unsustainable land use patterns.
Increasing global greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to the lower lying islands of the sub-region.
Water shortage and drinking water quality are issues of concern in this sub-region.

Northeast Asia:

This report highlights that poverty in Northeast Asia is forecast to drop significantly by 2015. China’s economic growth and prosperity has lead to a reduction in the poverty numbers in the sub-region.
The Human Development Index (HDI) increased consistently for all the countries of the sub-region except Mongolia where it slightly decreased during 1990 to 1995.
Desertification is an important environmental issue in this sub-region. Mongolia and China are deeply affected by land degradation and top soil loss. Sustainable agriculture practices along with land management awareness will help impede desertification.
Air quality has worsened in the leading cities of this sub-region. Legal measures and effective policies are needed to counter the rising air pollution.

Central Asia:

This report highlights that the Central Asian economies, which were adversely affected by the political changes in the Soviet Union in the earlier half of the 1990s, picked up during the second half of the decade. By the year 2000, the GDP growth rate in Central Asia had exceeded the average growth rate of Asia and the Pacific, and the World.
Poverty is a growing concern in the Central Asian republics and steady economic growth is needed to mitigate poverty.
Land degradation is an issue of concern in the Central Asian republics, leading to a reduction of arable land. Agricultural run-off is the main cause of water pollution.
Central Asian republics are also facing air pollution in their major cities as well as transboundary air pollution.
The biodiversity in this sub-region is under increased pressure due to environmental degradation.

Media are invited to attend a press briefing and launch of the Indicators Report with UNEP Deputy Executive Director Shafqat Kakakhel, Thailand Minister for Environment and Natural Resources Mr Suwit Khunkitti, and SEPD Panelists at 13.00, Wednesday, November 17, Salon Room 1, Basement, Athenee Plaza Hotel, Wireless Road, Bangkok.

For more information:

Please visit www.rrcap.unep.org/policy2/

Or contact Tim Higham, Regional Information Officer, UNEP, phone +66 2 2882127, +66 9 1283803,
email higham@un.org.

UNEP/ROAP News Release 2004/17