TumenNET EIA Strategy WS

Beijing, 11-12 April 2002

Draft recommendations

The Workshop participants recognize the "Memorandum of Understanding on environmental principles governing the Tumen River Economic Development Area and Northeast Asia, 1995" (MOU) as the key framework document for the environmentally sound and sustainable development in the Northeast Asia. The following recommendations were prepared in accord with this MOU (especially paragraphs 1.1-1.7, 2.3).

1. Organize SEA/EIA Training Course in order to standardize the content of the regional EIS related to transborder projects to meet minimum requirements of the affected countries (to be funded through countries cost-sharing; TRADP, including TumenNET; see MOU, para 2.3).

2. Establish an SEA/EIA Committee on an ad hoc basis for consulting and negotiating the alternatives and mitigation methods, including major stakeholders, e.g. representatives from oil and gas companies (TRADP, including TumenNET; see MOU, para 1.1-1.7 and 3.1).

3. Establish a Monitoring Commission composed of each involved (affected) government in order to ensure that activities are implemented in compliance with the EIA approval conditions related to transboundary environmental issues caused by the construction and operation of the projects. The Commission should operate on a project-to-project basis, be funded from the budgets of these projects and operate for the lifetime of these projects (TRADP, including TumenNET; see MOU, para 1.1-1.7 and 3.1).

4. To recommend to the governments to use national expertise available while preparing EIS for transboundary projects, e.g., oil and gas exploration and pipelines (TRADP, includimg TumenNET).

Workshop participants suggest TRADP National Teams and key national ministries to consider possible mechanisms of funding of these recommendations.

These recommendations were developed by EIA experts from Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.