1. Brunei Darussalam hosted the Sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME) on 25-26 April 1994. It was preceded by the 5th Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) from 20 to 22 April 1994 and by a preparatory Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on 23 April 1994.

2. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Dr. Hj Ismail bin Pengiran Hj Damit, Minister of Development of Brunei Darussalam; H.E. Mr. Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, State Minister for the Environment of the Republic of Indonesia; H.E. Datuk Law Hieng Ding, Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment of Malaysia; H.E. Dr. Angel C. Alcala, Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Republic of the Philippines; H.E. Mr. Mah Bow Tan, Minister for Communications and Minister for the Environment of the Republic of Singapore; and H.E. Mr. Preecha Musikul, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Environment of the Kingdom of Thailand. Mr. Mahadi bin Hj Wasli, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN was also in attendance.

3. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Dr. Hj Ismail bin Pengiran Hj Damit, Minister of Development of Brunei Darussalam. In his welcoming remarks, he stated that at the international level, ASEAN should continue to coordinate and assert its common views on the environment for its position to be better understood in the global context as well as to protect its interest as a group. He said that the rnechanism for exchanging information among member countries shout, therefore be further strengthened. He added that closer cooperation, more so than ever before, was the key to the successful management of ASEAN's environment.

4. The Ministers adopted the Bandar Seri Begawan Resolution on Environment and Development which spells out ASEAN's commitment to implement the following measures pertaining to sustainable development:

4.1 To adopt and implement the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment (1994-1998) to attain the following objectives:



a) to respond to specific recommendations of Agenda 21 requiring priority action in ASEAN;

b) to introduce policy measures and promote institutional development that encourage the integration of environmental factors in all developmental processes both at the national and regional levels;

c) to establish long term goals on environmental quality and work towards harmonised environmental quality standards for the ASEAN region;

d) to harmonise policy directions and enhance operational and technical cooperation on environmental matters, and undertake joint actions to address common environmental problems; and

e) to study the implications of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) on the environment and take steps to integrate sound trade policies with sound environmental policies.




The Plan calls for the implementation of the following strategies:



a) Support the development of a regional framework for integrating environment and development concerns in the decision-making process;

b) Promote government-private sector interactions that lead towards the development of policies that mutually support the thrust of each sector;

c) Strengthen the knowledge and information data base on environmental matters;

d) Strengthen institutional and legal capacities to implement international agreements on environment;

e) Establish a regional framework on biological diversity conservation and sustainable utilisation of its components;

f) Promote the protection and management of coastal zones and marine resources;

g) Promote environmentally sound management of toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes, and control of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal;

h) Develop a system for the promotion of environmentally sound technologies;

i) Promote regional activities that strengthen the role of major groups in sustainable development;

j) Strengthen the coordinative mechanism for the implementation and management of regional environment programmes.



4.2 To adopt the following set of Harmonised Environmental Quality Standards for ambient air quality and river water quality to be achieved by all ASEAN member countries by the year 2010.

Ambient Air Quality: a Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) below 100

River Water Quality: pH=6.0 to 8.5, DO= 2 mg/l or more, BOD= 10 mg/l or less, TSS= 200 mg/l or less

In the implementation of these standards, priority will be given to urban and industrial areas where the problems are more severe.

4.3 To declare 1 995 as ASEAN Environment Year to highlight ASEAN environmental issues and cooperative programmes in order to stimulate awareness on these issues among the ASEAN populace and the world at large; broaden the participatory process in the environment in ASEAN; and stimulate regional activities in the environmental area. The theme "ASEAN Environment Year: Green and Clean" was chosen for the ASEAN Environment Year which wood be hunched by all member countries on 1 January 1995.

Regional and national activities, such as environment camps for ASEAN youth, trade fairs for environmentally sound and friendly products and technologies, tree planting and national essay, photo and art competitions, will be held during the year.

4.4 To strengthen cooperation among ASEAN member countries to ensure the effective implementation of the decisions of the Second Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. This is to enhance regional cooperation in the management and control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes into and within the ASEAN region. A meeting on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes will be held in Indonesia in the near future.

5. The Ministers reiterated that ASEAN as a vibrant and viable region could play a meaningful role in implementing Agenda 21, which is a plan of action at international level to protect the environment. In this respect, the Ministers pointed out that ASEAN has made every effort to achieve greater self-reliance in environmental management. However, this has been set back by the lack of specialized skills, inadequate capacity, and limited financial resources. The Ministers, therefore, called for the immediate and meaningful implementation of the commitments by developed countries as contained in Agenda 21. In this regard, the Ministers discussed and agreed on a common position on ASEAN's priorities and responses to post-UNCED developments. The Ministers further agreed to voice these concerns in international fora such as the forthcoming meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to be held in New York from 16 to 27 May 1994.

6. The Ministers considered the outcome of the Sixth AMME as further evidence of ASEAN's success in regional cooperation in the field of the environment. The Ministers agreed to hold the Seventh AMME in Indonesia in 1997. The Ministers also agreed to meet informally from time to time in between these formal meetings. The first informal meeting will be hosted by Malaysia, possibly within the next six months.

7. The Meeting was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity.