Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 8:47 am Post subject: Environmentalists meet to create indicators
Souknilundon Southivongnorath
LOCAL information must be accurate for use in the development of environmental indicators, officials from the Science, Technology and Environment Agency (STEA) said Tuesday.
Speaking at an environmental performance assessment workshop held under the Subregional Strategic Environment Framework Project, the officials said it was important to review material collected so far.
"We want to know whether or not the information conforms to the current situation before we make it the basis of our environmental indicators," said Keo Bang-a, Deputy Director General, Office of the Working Group on the Environment of the Asian Development Bank and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
She explained that if there were no indicators, there would be no way to compare the environmental policies of the Government with the work done by the agency.
Workshop participants also discussed the use of environmental case studies to provide environmental indicators.
"We are providing case studies to make experimental indicators. Vietnam has chosen to give a similar yardstick with Hai Phong province, where they have a problem with oil in the river," she explained.
"The GMS countries are rich in natural resources, forestry and biodiversity, which should help to alleviate poverty and increase the pace of development in these countries," said the Vice Head of STEA, Noulin Sinbandith, at the opening of the workshop.
The GMS countries consist of Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Yunan province in China. They have been aided in sustainable economic development by the World Bank since 1992, to achieve better living conditions for the people of these countries.
"Potential development projects include railways, airports, hydropower plants and natural gas extraction, as well as travel and trade. Such construction projects have affects on the environment of shared borders. It is this fact that has brought us together today to find ways to solve our common problems," he explained.
After the workshop, the environmentalists trained for two days at STEA on the Environment Performance Assessment guidelines for future implementation.
The workshop was attended by officials from many ministries, UNDP, the Institute for Global Environment Strategy and other international organisations. _________________ Asia Expats Forum Expat Friends Dating
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