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The 4th ASEAN State of the Environment Report 2009 was launched at the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, 29th October 2009 in Singapore. The publication is made possible with assistance of the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Government of Japan. The launch was attended by 10 ASEAN Environmental Ministers, and print and electronic media.
The publication showcases the environmental achievement of the region, and highlights the faced challenges and measures to address them. It just comes after the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter on 15 December 2008. The Charter, that has transformed the coalition of nations into a legal and rules-based entity, promotes sustainable development, ensuring the protection of the region’s environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural heritage and the high quality of life of its peoples.
ASEAN is one of the key regions in which HSF concentrates its efforts particularly in the field of environment through its regional offices located in Thailand (by July 2010), Philippines and Indonesia. The cooperation has started in 1997 by signing its first MoU with ASEAN Secretariat.
Through the partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat, HSF has assisted ASEAN in implementing many regional environmental initiatives. Among others are the publication of the ASEAN State of the Environment Reports, the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities Award and the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plans. The last one includes enhancing partnership with non-governmental organizations and civil society groups on promoting environmental collaboration and environmental leadership training for promising young leaders. Moreover, HSF supports ASEAN participants to Asia Pacific environmental leadership annual trainings for young leaders, ASEAN and Asia Pacific forum to the Mid-term review of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2012, and the Asia-Europe Foundation Environmental Forum Series. All these activities were implemented in partnership with the UNEP Regional Office for Asia Pacific.
Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan expressed his sincere appreciation to the Hanns Seidel Foundation for its support to make the publication possible, in his foreword to the report.
