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NewsAsia 26 Sep 05 ASEAN meetings on environment to be held in Manila By Rita Zahara, Channel NewsAsia PlanetSave 26 Sep 05 Southeast Asian officials discuss ways to shield agriculture from bird flu, other threats Written by JIM GOMEZ MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Southeast Asian officials opened a conference Monday to discuss ways to shield their robust agricultural sectors from the ravages of bird flu, deforestation and other threats, with one official warning only collective action could save key industries. Agriculture and forestry ministers and senior officials of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations also will tackle a plan for an emergency rice stockpile, pest control and other concerns. Their counterparts from regional heavyweights China, Japan and South Korea will join the weeklong conference on Thursday, officials said. "The robustness of our collective agricultural growth is currently being threatened by a host of developments," Philippine Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban warned delegates in the resort city of Tagaytay, south of Manila. "If we fail to act as one, not only do we dissipate our scarce individual resources and efforts, we would have failed our people and their joint destiny of prosperity and progress," he said. Bird flu has ravaged poultry populations in large swaths of Asia since 2003, leaving at least 65 people dead -- mostly in ASEAN members Vietnam and Thailand -- and resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of birds. Officials are concerned that if a global pandemic develops, governments may be forced to severely restrict the movement of people and goods -- actions that would batter many industries. Panganiban said delegates will discuss details of a planned regional anti-bird flu task force and share strategies in containing the disease, citing the Philippines' success in preventing bird flu from developing in the island archipelago. ASEAN environmental officials, meanwhile, began a three-day meeting in Manila to boost regional cooperation in combating haze from forest fires, a perennial problem that smothered Indonesia and Malaysia last month. Southeast Asian governments forged a regional agreement on fighting haze several years ago but the accord was never enforced. A Philippine government statement said delegates would focus on steps to develop regional early warning and response systems to contain haze. Government negligence, rampant development and illegal land clearing combined to spark massive fires in Indonesia in August that ravaged thousands of hectares (acres) of forest and covered parts of Malaysia in thick, noxious haze. The fires in the Indonesian province of Sumatra obscured skies and pushed pollution up to hazardous levels in several parts of Malaysia before downpours and shifting winds cleared the air. Malaysia has often accused Indonesia of doing little to curb the haze problem, while Indonesia accuses Malaysian-owned plantations in Indonesia for the problem. ASEAN comprises Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Channel NewsAsia 26 Sep 05 ASEAN meetings on environment to be held in Manila By Rita Zahara, Channel NewsAsia SINGAPORE : Two ASEAN meetings on the environment will be held in Manila over the next few days. The first is the 9th Informal ASEAN Meeting on the Environment on September 27, where ASEAN ministers will discuss issues relating to transboundary haze pollution, nature conservation and biodiversity and water resources management. It will also see the launch of the ASEAN Network on Environmentally Sustainable Cities, an initiative led by Singapore. The network will provide a platform for the exchange and sharing of best practices and capacity development among ASEAN cities, ASEAN dialogue partners and other international organisations. This will be followed by the 4th ASEAN Plus Three Environment Ministers Meeting on September 28. ASEAN environment ministers and their counterparts from China, Japan and Korea will meet to discuss potential areas of collaboration as well as on-going cooperative activities and projects. Singapore will be represented by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources Ministry, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee. He will be accompanied by officials from his ministry and the National Environment Agency. links Related articles on Global issues:bird flu issues, polices, impact |
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