Manila, The Philippines
•10 - 11 July 1996
1996 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Development
DECLARATION
1. Ministers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and the United States met for an APEC Meeting on Sustainable Development in Manila from 11- 12 July 1996. Also present were the APEC Secretariat and an observer from the South Pacific Forum.
2. Ministers reviewed the results of the Leaders' meeting in Osaka and noted in particular the following principles which provide the basis for APEC's commitment to sustainable development.
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The Asia-Pacific region's fast expanding population and rapid economic growth are forecast to sharply increase the demand for food and energy and the pressures on the environment. There is therefore a need to put these interrelated wide-ranging issues on the long-term agenda and consult further on ways to initiate joint actions so as to ensure that the region's economic prosperity is sustainable.
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APEC efforts to attain sustainable growth and development must recognise the diverse character of APEC.
Free and open trade and investment, expansion and acceleration of trade and investment facilitation programs and intensified development cooperation are essential to attain sustainable growth, equitable development and national stability.
3. Therefore, the Ministers:
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Recognised the over-arching necessity of incorporating sustainable development issues into the overall effort to achieve the three pillars of the Osaka Action Agenda: trade and investment liberalisation, their facilitation, and economic and technical cooperation.
Recognised that environmental issues span across APEC fora and require cross-cutting approaches within the existing mechanisms of APEC. -
Recognised the inter-relationship among poverty, unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, population growth, natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, and the potential for regional approaches in addressing global environmental problems.
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Recognised the importance of the points raised by His Excellency President Ramos to advocate harmony of the environment and economic development in APEC economies for a sustainable future of the region.
4. Ministers noted the APEC Leader's Economic Vision Statement at Blake Island, Seattle in November 1993, which stated that "Our environment is improved as we protect the quality of our air, water and green spaces and manage our energy resources and renewable resources to ensure sustainable growth and provide a more secure future for our people."
5. Ministers also noted and reaffirmed the progress that APEC has made on sustainable development leading up to the Osaka Action Agenda, including:
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The Environmental Vision Statement and Framework of Principles for Integrating Economy and Environment in APEC, developed by Ministers responsible for the Environment, in Canada in March 1994;
The APEC Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta in November 1994, which welcomed the results of the meeting of APEC Environment Ministers in 1994, and endorsed integrating environmental issues into ongoing APEC Activities. -
The Ministers recognized the considerable efforts of APEC Committees and working groups toward sustainable development, welcomed the contributions from the Marine Resource Conservation and Tourism working groups, and directed Senior Environment Officials to review these contributions for possible inclusion in subsequent discussions.
6. Ministers agreed that APEC action to promote sustainable development should be conducted in accordance with guidelines, including:
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the promotion of public-private partnerships;
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the ability of APEC to add value to ongoing activities to address sustainable development and avoid duplication;
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the need to recognise the diverse stages of economic development of APEC economies;
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supporting local empowerment;
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sharing of innovative approaches;
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enhancing capacity through human resource development, information sharing and technology exchange;
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the importance of outcome-driven approaches; and,
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the benefits of incentive-based approaches.
8. Ministers discussed the following major sustainable development themes of mutual concern:
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sustainable cities/urban management;
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clean technology and clean production; and
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sustainability of the marine environment.
9. Ministers recognised the importance of sustainable cities in the Asia Pacific region. Ministers reiterated their commitment to implement the Habitat II agenda adopted in the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul in June 1996 and agreed on the need to advance efforts on sustainable cities in APEC.
10. Ministers recognised the essential role of clean technologies and cleaner production methods in the pursuit of sustainable development goals and called for the initiation of an "APEC Cleaner Production Strategy".
11. Ministers underscored that APEC economies are united by the oceans and seas in the region and that the health of the marine environment is critical to APEC economies. To this end, Ministers reaffirmed that APEC economies will implement treaties and commitments to which they have agreed, related to the marine environment. Ministers agreed to recommend to the APEC Leaders at their Subic Bay meeting that APEC economies agree to make dramatic progress towards clean oceans and seas in the APEC region.
12. Ministers commended the APEC Experts' Meeting on Innovative Approaches Towards Environmentally Sustainable Development for its recommendations and encouraged the adoption, where appropriate, of innovative approaches such as reforms in economy-wide policies and the adoption of market-based instruments and environment and natural resource accounting as effective mechanisms for conserving environmental assets for sustainable development.
13. Ministers also recommended that APEC Senior Officials annually review sustainable development work in APEC for the purpose of coordinating and reviewing activities, providing guidance to APEC fora and measuring the success of their efforts.
14. Ministers agreed to meet again in Canada in 1997.
15. Ministers agreed that their recommendations and the attached Action Programme be conveyed to the Third APEC Senior Officials Meeting in Davao City in August 1996 and brought forward to the Leaders' Meeting in Subic, Philippines in November 1996.