Asia ministers ink Manila ‘green’ declaration

MANILA, Philippines—A greener and more eco-friendly Asia for its teeming population.

With the adoption of the Manila Declaration on Resource Efficient and Green Industry Wednesday, Asian trade and environment ministers hope to set a framework that would support green growth strategies for industries and encourage more Asians to adopt lifestyles not harmful to the environment.

The declaration stressed that trade and industry ministries of the government need to work with private industries, the academe, nongovernment organizations as well as research and development institutions, to be able to adopt the green development measures outlined in the declaration.

It also pushed for the accelerated transfer of clean technologies among developing nations of Asia as it recognized the need for adequate funds and technologies.

According to Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza, the Manila Declaration is Asia’s first unified sustainable development initiative and outlines efforts among different sectors.

Billions in Asia still live in poverty and a degraded environment caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization.

Minister-level officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines signed the declaration together with senior officials from India, Iran, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan. Pakistan did not send a representative.

Officials from Fiji, Belgium and Russia also attended the event at the International Conference on Green Industry in Asia (ICGIA).

The ICGIA conference was organized by the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). –Riza T. Olchondra, Philippine Daily Inquirer