Regional Workshop on Sustainable Development In East Asia

Background

The global environmental degradation is caused by industrialized nations seeking further prosperity, and by poverty and population explosion in developing countries. If the environmental destruction continues to take place at the current pace, all the lives, including those of mankind, on the earth are predicted to be jeopardized during the course of the 21st century. "Sustainable development" is the key concept that has been advocated to avert such a crisis and to achieve the twin goals of environmental conservation and social development.

Policies and measures to attain sustainable development have been extensively discussed in international forums. Past deliberations have made it clear that it is crucial not only to carry out global, macro measures, but to narrow differentials and resolve the distribution issue between industrialized and developing nations, and between urban and rural areas, and so on.

That is the background of what has motivated us to organize this workshop, whose objective is to identify the future course that East Asian countries should take. The workshop will identify requirements and measures to realize development vision for each East Asian country to close domestic gaps among areas and to resolve the issue of distribution. The workshop will also assess possible contributions to and deviations from sustainable development and discuss other problems to be solved.

Date, Venue and Participants

Date:October 2(Wed.) - 4(Fri.), 1996.
Venue: Arcadia Ichigaya, Tokyo.
Participants: Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA (11 countries, 30 people).
Other participants from general public: 70 people.

Structure of the Workshop

Keynote address: "Attaining sustainable development in East Asia" (By Professor Yoichi Kaya, Keio University, Japan).
Session 1: "Prospects for and obstacles to achieving a sustainable society" (All the participant countries).
Session 2: "Vision of development and its prospects".
Group 1: "Local economic development and gaps between areas" (China and India).
Group 2: "Industrial development and environmental conservation" (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand).
Group 3: "Wastes and recycling" (Singapore and Taiwan).
Group 4:"Sustainable land use and its limit" (South Korea and Japan).
Session 3: "Actions required to create a sustainable society in East Asia" (USA).
Generalization: (By Professor Kei Takeuchi, Meiji Gakuin University, Japan).

Languages: English and Japanese (Simultaneous interpretation will be provided).
Organizers: GISPRI, World Resources Institute (WRI), and Brookings Institution.
Co-Sponsors: Japan Keirin Association, Sakura Bank Co., Tokyo Electric Power Co., and Ieon Group Environment Foundation.