East Asia Summit

Background

1. The concept of an East Asia Grouping was first promoted in 1991 by then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. After considerable internal discussions, the 10th ASEAN Summit held in Vientiane on November 29, 2004 agreed to hold the first East Asia Summit (EAS) in Malaysia in 2005. The Summit also tasked the ASEAN Foreign Ministers to work out the details regarding modalities and participation. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed that the first EAS would involve ASEAN, + 3 countries (China, Japan and ROK) as well as countries that fulfill the following criteria: Substantive relations with ASEAN, Full Dialogue Partner status and Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC)

2. The ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Vientiane on July 26, 2005 welcomed the participation of ASEAN, Japan, ROK, Australia, India and New Zealand in the first EAS.

3. Four East Asia Summits have been held so far; the first East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December, 2005; the second East Asia Summit was held in Cebu (Philippines) on 15 January, 2007, the third was held in Singapore on 21 November, 2007 and the fourth in Chaam Hua Hin, Thailand on 25 October, 2009.

4. The First Summit adopted a Declaration that outlines the objectives and modalities of the EAS. This, inter alia, states that the efforts of the East Asia Summit to promote community building will form an integral part of the regional architecture. The statement refers to the EAS focusing on economic interaction and trade & investment expansion and liberalization.

5. Energy was the main focus of the second East Asia Summit. Leaders signed the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security. Leaders also decided to initiate concrete projects in five priority EAS cooperation areas before 3rd EAS. They are Energy, Finance, Education, Avian Influenza and Disaster Mitigation. The Summit welcomed, among others, initiatives such as the revival of the Nalanda University in India to improve regional understanding and the appreciation of one another's heritage and history. The Leaders agreed to launch a Track Two study on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) among EAS participants and welcomed Japan’s proposal for an Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). They also agreed to forge closer coordination among the national emergency response and management mechanisms for natural disaster mitigation.

6. The Third East Asia Summit focused on the issues of Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The centerpiece of the EAS Meeting was adoption of the “Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and Environment”. The Declaration calls for mobilizing financial support, capacity building, development of clean technologies, exchange of scientific and technical expertise, joint studies, promotion of public awareness and development of policy measures.

7. The Fourth East Asia Summit deliberated on the Global Economic and Financial Crisis, Education and Disaster Management, among other issues. The 4th EAS agreed to take a calibrated step-by-step approach on the issue of rolling back the Stimulus-packages by Asian nations. It adopted Chaam Hua Hin Statement on Disaster Management. A Joint Press Statement on the Revival of Nalanda University to express political support to India’s effort to revive the Nalanda University located in the State of Bihar was also issued. Expansion of EAS - Admission of US & Russia

8. The 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July, 2010 recommended entry of US and Russia to the EAS for consideration at the 5th EAS scheduled to be held in October, 2010. India welcomed the proposed entry of both the countries. Accordingly, the Secretary of State of U.S and the Foreign Minister of Russia have been invited to attend the 5th EAS in Hanoi, Vietnam as ‘Guest of the host’ with formal entry scheduled for 2011.

India’s Approach to the EAS 9.Prime Minister, in his remarks, at the first EAS Summit said that the long-term goal of the EAS should be the creation of a harmonious and prosperous community of nations that would pool its common resources to tackle common challenges. He also pointed out that a virtual Asian Economic Community was emerging with the wide-ranging FTAs that linked the countries of the region. He said that, rather than a set of sub-optimal arrangements, there was need for a wider perspective so that ongoing processes could become building blocks for a larger vision. In this context, he suggested that a Pan-Asian FTA could be the starting block for a community. Prime Minister also said that the EAS needed to go for deeper economic integration where markets became common and there was free flow of goods, services, investment, ideas, technology and people between the countries. At the 1st EAS emphasis was on economic cooperation.

Initiatives under EAS – Nalanda University

10. The proposal to revive the Nalanda University as an international University was proposed under the aegis of the East Asia Summit (EAS). At the 4th EAS Summit held in Thailand in October 2009, the EAS member countries issued a Joint Press Statement on the Revival of Nalanda University. They supported the establishment of the Nalanda University as a non-state, non-profit, secular and self governing international institution with a continental focus that will bring together the brightest and the most dedicated students from all countries of Asia – irrespective of gender, caste, creed, disability, ethnicity or social-economic background – to enable them to acquire liberal and human education and to give them the means needed for pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies and thus achieve qualities of tolerance and accommodation.

11. The Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG) was constituted under the Chairmanship of Prof. Amartya Sen for the establishment of the Nalanda University. The Nalanda Mentor Group, consisting of eminent personalities and academics was mandated to examine all aspects, including the academic and administrative structure, that would facilitate the revival of Nalanda as a centre of excellence in Asia. The NMG held six meetings: Singapore (July 2007); Tokyo (December 2007); New York (May 2008); New Delhi (August 2008); an on-site meeting in Nalanda/Gaya in February 2009 and New Delhi (August 2010).

12. Incorporating the suggestions and recommendations of the NMG, the Government of India drafted the Nalanda University Bill 2010 to establish the University in the Indian State of Bihar. The Bill was unanimously passed in the Parliament and is now the Nalanda University Act.

13. As envisaged in the Act, the Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG) shall exercise powers as the Interim Governing Board for a period of one year or till such time that the members of the Governing Board have been nominated, whichever is earlier. 14. A Vice Chancellor designate has been appointed and is entrusted with the task of operationalizing the project offices in Delhi and Bihar and initiate further steps towards the establishment of the University. The State Government of Bihar has already acquired and transferred 446 acres of land in Rajgir (in the vicinity of the original Nalanda University site) and is planning to pursue upgradation of infrastructure around the proposed site.

15. At the EAS Mnisterial Meeting in July 2010, India apprised the members of the progress of the Nalanda University project and conveyed that India was looking forward to specific commitments and support from the member-countries for the project. It is envisaged that the Governing Board of the proposed university shall have five members amongst the member-States.

5th East Asia Summit

16. The 5th East Asia Summit would deliberate on the global and regional issues of importance including the fragile global economic recovery and review on going cooperation in areas such as Energy, Environment, climate change and sustainable development, Financial Cooperation, Natural Disaster Mitigation, Education and Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA). The Prime Minister would take this opportunity to brief the Summit on our thinking on these issues and on the developments in the Nalanda University Project. The leaders would also exchange views on regional and international issues and on the future cooperation in EAS. The Summit would adopt the ‘Hanoi Declaration on the Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of the East Asia Summit’.

Biodiversity Summit Tenth Session of the Conference of Parties - COP10

Delegates from across the world have gathered in Nagoya, Japan for the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) summit. Governments are meeting to discuss progress on biodiversity targets, as set by parties to the convention in 2002. The Nagoya summit will also consider adopting new set of targets for 2020 that aim to tackle biodiversity loss.

COP 10:
Pursuant to decision IX/35, the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) will be held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 18 to 29 October 2010.
COP 10 will include a high-level ministerial segment organized by the host country in consultation with the Secretariat and the Bureau. The high‑level segment will take place from 27 to 29 October 2010. This meeting will take place during the International Year for Biodiversity (IYB) as declared by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 61/203. During the course of the year events will occur in every region of the world to raise public awareness of the importance of biological diversity to human well-being. Strategic Issues for Evaluating Progress and Supporting Implementation of the Convention will be considered. It is anticipated that the negotiations on an International Regime on Access and Benefit-sharing will result in the adoption of an instrument on Access and Benefit-Sharing.

COP 10 - About the Conference of the Parties:

The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention, and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings. To date the Conference of the Parties has held 9 ordinary meetings, and one extraordinary meeting (the latter, to adopt the Biosafety Protocol, was held in two parts). From 1994 to 1996, the Conference of the Parties held its ordinary meetings annually. Since then these meetings have been held somewhat less frequently and, following a change in the rules of procedure in 2000, will now be held every two years. The Ninth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Bonn, Germany (28 - 30 May 2008).

Conference of the Parties (COP):

Background and Status

The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention, and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings. To date the Conference of the Parties has held 9 ordinary meetings, and one extraordinary meeting (the latter, to adopt the Biosafety Protocol, was held in two parts). From 1994 to 1996, the Conference of the Parties held its ordinary meetings annually. Since then these meetings have been held somewhat less frequently and, following a change in the rules of procedure in 2000, will now be held every two years. To date the Conference of the Parties has taken a total of 252 procedural and substantive decisions. The Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was be held in Bonn, Germany (19 - 30 May 2008). The Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties will take place in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010.

Meetings of the Conference of the Parties:

COP 10 - Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, 18 - 29 October 2010.

COP 9 - Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Bonn, Germany, 19 - 30 May 2008

COP 8 - Eighth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Curitiba, Brazil, 20 - 31 March 2006

COP 7 - Seventh Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9 - 20 February 2004

COP 6 - Sixth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, The Hague, Netherlands, 7 - 19 April 2002

COP 5 - Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nairobi, Kenya, 15 - 26 May 2000

ExCOP 1 - First Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Cartagena, Colombia & Montreal, Canada, 22 - 23 February 1999 & 24 - 28 January 2000

COP 4 - Fourth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Bratislava, Slovakia, 4 - 15 May 1998

COP 3 - Third Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 4 - 15 November 1996

COP 2 - Second Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Jakarta, Indonesia, 6 - 17 November 1995

COP 1 - First Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nassau, Bahamas, 28 November - 9 December 1994

Major themes at meetings of the Conference of the Parties:

First ordinary meeting	Guidance to the financial mechanism; Medium-term programme of work;
Second ordinary meeting	Marine and coastal biological diversity; Access to genetic resources; Conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; Biosafety;
Third ordinary meeting	Agricultural biodiversity; Financial resources and mechanism; Identification, monitoring and assessment; Intellectual property rights;
Fourth ordinary meeting	Inland water ecosystems; Review of the operations of the Convention; Article 8(j) and related issues (traditional knowledge); Benefit sharing;
Fifth ordinary meeting	Dryland, mediterranean, arid, semi-arid, grassland and savannah ecosystems; Sustainable use, including tourism; Access to genetic resources;
Sixth ordinary meeting	Forest ecosystems; Alien species; Benefit-sharing; Strategic plan 2002-2010;
Seventh ordinary meeting	Mountain ecosystems; Protected areas; Transfer of technology and technology cooperation.
Eighth ordinary meeting	Island biodiversity; Biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands; Global Taxonomy Initiative; Access and benefit-sharing (Article 15); Article 8(j) and related provisions; Communication, education and public awareness (Article 13).
Ninth ordinary meeting	Agricultural biodiversity; Global Strategy for Plant Conservation; Invasive alien species; Forest biodiversity; measures; Ecosystem approach; Progress int he implementation of the Strategic Plan and progress towards the 2010 traget and relevant Millennium Development Goals; Financial resources and the financial mechanism.

COP also sets out a series of standing items for the provisional agenda of its meetings, namely:

• Organizational matters;
• Reports from subsidiary bodies, the financial mechanism and the Executive Secretary;
• Review of the implementation of the programme of work;
• Priority issues for review and guidance; and
• Other matters.

2010 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY:


The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth.

International Day for Biological Diversity 2010:

Biodiversity for Development and Poverty Alleviation

The International Day for Biological Diversity is observed annually on 22 May.

The theme of the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2010 is Biodiversity for Development and Poverty Alleviation. Celebration on this theme provides unique opportunity to raise public awareness on the importance of biodiversity to sustainable development and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.