Ministerial Statement of the Inaugural EAS Environment Ministers Meeting (2008)

The Inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS) Environment Ministers Meeting held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 9 October 2008 was attended by the Environment Ministers or their representatives of the 10 ASEAN Member States, and Australia, People?s Republic of China, Republic of India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and New Zealand. The meeting was an important initial step (i) to actualize the visions of the EAS Leaders on environmental cooperation, noting that ASEAN as the driving force working with other participating countries in the EAS, and (ii) to discuss ways and means to put these ideas into practice through regional cooperative efforts and activities. The main theme of the Meeting was Achieving Environmentally Sustainable Cities in East Asia.