Summary

Since ASEAN included the environment on its agenda some 30 years ago, the number and variety of environmental instruments and initiatives have increased tremendously. It is now recognized that ASEAN has an important role to play in developing environmental sustainability in the region and also in facilitating the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements, which in turn requires greater integration and cooperation not only among its member countries but also at national and global levels. This calls for an empowerment of the people and a critical examination of the work of ASEAN in this area. This two-volume publication compiles and edits all relevant ASEAN environmental instruments and initiatives, including relevant communiquÉs and statements relating to various aspects of the environment. Volume I consists of two sections. Section I - "Setting the Stage for ASEAN Environmental Cooperation" - contains documents which are directly or indirectly related to the various aspects of the environment, including their potential impact, which may not be readily understood. The scope of environmental law is wide-ranging and its interrelationships straddle the three ASEAN pillars, namely "security, economic and socio-cultural". Section II deals with the general legal frameworks as well as statements, communiquÉs and other initiatives on the environment. It is subdivided into "(A) Programmes, Strategies and Plans of Action"; and "(B) Declarations, Resolutions, Accords and Statements".