UNCTAD, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is organizing a "Subregional workshop on environmental management of natural resource-based sectors," with particular emphasis on fisheries and tourism. The meeting is being held in Hanoi from 25-28 September. More than 50 policy-makers and experts in natural resource management from Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand are participating in this event.
The workshop offers policy-makers and experts from the region an opportunity to exchange their experience in sustainable management of natural resources. Some countries, which have experienced environmental drawbacks linked to the rapid economic development of natural resource-based sectors, have introduced effective policies; others, which are anticipating similar problems, need to devise and implement appropriate policies.
The first and the second generation of newly industrializing countries in South-East Asia have been fast-growing. However, high growth requires more attention to environmental issues the lack of which has, in some cases, resulted in a disproportionate deterioration of the state of the environment. This may threaten long-term sustainable growth. Fortunately, increasingly effective action is being taken to integrate environmental considerations into decisions concerning economic growth. Experience shows that many of the emerging problems could be mitigated or avoided if appropriate preventive measures were taken.
The participants in the Hanoi workshop will discuss the applicability of different command-and-control, economic, and communicative instruments for the sustainable natural resource management of the fisheries and tourism sectors. Special emphasis will be given to the selection of an appropriate policy mix in the various political, economic and environmental contexts of individual countries. Ways of financing sustainable development, including increased production and sales of environment-friendly products and services, will also be examined.
