Brussels, 18/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The ASEM Asia-Europe forum held a meeting in Beijing on Thursday focussing on the environment - a first in the history of the organisation. In a press release, the Spanish Presidency argued that Europe/Asia co-operation had led to progress in terms of climate change, sustainable urban development, protecting water resources, forests and other natural resources.
Subjects discussed in Beijing included preparing for the World Sustainable Development Summit (Rio + 10) in Johannesburg this August, where the EU wants commitments and concrete pledges to be made in the form of a new contract or global agreement between North and South, as the Spanish Environment Minister, Jaume Matas (acting President of the EU Council of Ministers) put it as he opened the meeting alongside his Chinese counterpart. The 25 participants explained their positions, with the Europeans outlining their ambitions and highlighting the need to ratify and clarify the international development objective (reversing the current trend of dwindling natural resources by 2015); achieving greater coherence between economic development policies; poverty alleviation and combating environmental deterioration; ensuring a fair distribution of wealth as a counterpart to globalisation; and promoting good governance at local, regional and national level.
Another great topic of the meeting was the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, with Japan calling on its Asian and European partners to not relent in their efforts to get the US Administration to change tune. "Japan continues to work actively to bring the United States back into the international fold and I call on all the member states of ASEM to assist in maximising the changes for the United States' return to the Kyoto family", said Japanese Environment Minister, Yoriko Kawaguschi. Noting that the US had not softened its opposition to the Protocol, she said "While this is a disappointment to many of us around the world, we must remember that the voices of both the US Congress and the American business world, which actively support climate change mitigation measures, continue to grow in number". ASEM Ministers "stressed the importance of the early ratification (of the Protocol) and of seeking its entry into force in 2002 as well as strengthening domestic efforts to tackle climate change", said Chinese Environment Minster, Xie Zhenua, without referring to the US by name. Chinese Vice Premier, Wen Jiabao, called on developed countries to take "more environmental protection responsibilities. Therefore they should play an active role in helping developing countries in solving their environmental problems", he said. The EU confirmed its intention to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by the end of June, with the aim of having it in force in time for the Johannesburg Summit.
The EU representatives and their 10 Asian counterparts agreed to take up the challenge of sustainable urban development and specifically work together to combat deforestation and illegal wood sales on the one hand, and in preparing for the United Nations Forum on desertification that will be held in Costa Rica in the near future.