[Title] Vision Statement for Environmental Cooperation in North-East Asia

With the dawn of the new millennium and faced with deteriorating environmental situation in the North-East Asian subregion, in accordance with Agenda 21 and as elaborated at the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly held in June 1997 (UNGASS), the Meeting of Senior Officials at its Sixth Meeting, 1999 agrees to:

1. Periodically review the environmental conditions and trends as well as the implementation of priority projects in the North-East Asian subregion with a view to identifying additional priority areas for cooperation;

2. Promote common policy dialogue on approaches and views and coordinated actions on subregional environmental issues;

3. Develop the present Framework for North-East Asian Subregional Programme on Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) into a comprehensive Programme for environmental cooperation in North-East Asia, preferably by the Eighth Meeting of Senior Officials on NEASPEC, bearing in mind that the development of institutional and financial arrangements should proceed in a realistic way, taking into consideration the diversity of the participating countries.

4. Request the UNESCAP secretariat to administer a 'Core Fund for North-East Asian Environmental Cooperation' should one or more participating countries make voluntary contribution for promoting subregional environmental cooperation. The fund could be utilized for projects adopted by the meeting of senior officials and aimed at enhancing subregional environmental cooperation.

5. Request the UNESCAP secretariat to continue to provide secretariat support to NEASPEC, in collaboration with UNDP, UNEP, ADB, the World Bank, and other relevant institutions. The Meeting of Senior Officials will keep under review the institutional mechanism. The participating countries shall extend support, as appropriate, to UNESCAP secretariat for its efficient operation, which also shall enhance the ownership of participating countries of NEASPEC.

6. Provide appropriate assistance for 'North-East Asian Centre for Environmental Data and Training' and 'North-East Asian Training Centre for Pollution Reduction in Coal-fired Power Plant,' both of which are expected to make a great contribution to the goal of NEASPEC. To forge a mutually beneficial partnership with ongoing environmental cooperation initiatives and projects in Northeast Asia such as Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific (ECO-ASIA), North-East Environmental Conference (NEAC) Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP), and the Tumen River Area Development Project (TRADP) with a view to enhancing synergies and avoiding duplication and overlapping in their activities.

7. Develop Websites for wider dissemination of information in order to raise public awareness of NEASPEC' s activities. The Websites shall be developed by each of the participating countries and the UNESCAP secretariat in languages of participating countries as well as, if possible, in English. The Senior Officials shall also consider other means to strengthen the public awareness of NEASPEC activities.

8. Make an input by providing information on achievements of NEASPEC to the fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific in 2000.

9. Make further efforts to increase the involvement of major groups particularly the local governments, civil societies, the private sectors and other interested groups to contribute to NEASPEC.