The Second Council
Meeting of TumenNET Introduction The 2nd TumenNET Council Meeting was held in Sokcho, Republic of Korea on 29-30 November 2001. More than 50 senior executives attended, representing national governments, provincial governments, project lead agents, non-government organisations, the business and investment sector, United Nations agencies, the Seoul diplomatic corps, TDA task managers and academic institutions. The Government of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea did not participate. Due to administrative reasons, delegates from Jilin Province in China and from Chitinskaya Oblast in Russia were not able to participate. The representatives of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region participated in an observer capacity, pending their eventual full participation in the TumenNET. The 1½-days meeting commenced with a progress update by the regional lead agents. The TDA and EIS components are now entering their final stages, with objectives generally achieved on time. Some delay in the preparation of the TDA was caused by the need to collect additional data from Chitinskaya Oblast in Russia (Daurian Zone) and from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China (Mongolian Plateau Zone). Still outstanding Chinese government clearances of the Chinese national and eight regional sector reports are expected in the near future. The AWARE component saw the evaluation of tranche I of the small grants program (SGP) and lessons learned will be incorporated into tranche II, due for launch in early 2002. Mass media campaigns are ongoing in all countries and a range of new community initiatives were launched / are in progress - the Green School initiative, the Tumen Clean Up Day initiative and the Painting and Drawing Competition. The SAP component was formally launched and National SAP Task Forces are currently being set up that will receive some financial support from the PCU. The SURVEY component is still on hold pending a policy decision by the Chinese Government. Recent progress on the Musan Iron Ore Mine in the DPRK (see below) may inject a new perspective and enable some work on SURVEY to commence. Summary of Outcomes (1) A number of notable outcomes were achieved at the Second Council Meeting. Most notable among these was the signing of a "letter of intent on cooperation" between the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and TumenNET, which marks the initiation of the green business network that is integral to TumenNET's mission. (2) Another important outcome was the expansion of the Provincial Governors' Network, which was signed by the Governor of Gangwon Province, Republic of Korea, during the Council Meeting. This brings the total number of provinces participating to six. Efforts continue to also involve Chinese and North Korean provinces in the Governors Network. (3) Small changes to the 2-year workplan and budget were discussed and accepted. The PCU reported that the project is expecting a surplus at the end of the project. This is due to the limited participation of the DPRK, to the extended use of specialists from within the region, and to the very substantial in-kind contributions by national expert institutions. (4) The 2 months delay in the TDA preparation, caused primarily by the need to involve Chitinskaya Oblast and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has the potential to translate into a commensurate delay in the completion of the SAP. The regional lead agent, the ROK Ministry of Environment, will monitor the situation closely. Every attempt will be made to finish the project as close to the original time frame as possible, but without compromising on quality or risk producing a document that will be unacceptable to national Governments. (5) The business sector emphasized that investors must have a clear roadmap on how to invest in TumenNET projects, including, but not limited to, the sharing of financial risks and an fair and transparent government and regulatory process. TumenNET has to be competitive in the international marketplace to attract investors. (6) The recent progress made in involving the DPRK in selected TumenNET activities
(eg Musan Iron Ore Mine) was welcomed. It is hoped that the DPRK will expand
that involvement to other activities such as the small grants program, the awareness
raising program and the establishment of a national TumenNET contact point for
which the PCU will provide equipment and capacity building resources. (8) With project cessation less than eight months away, the need for a transition project was discussed. Council strongly supported such a project that would bridge the gap between formulation and implementation of the SAP. A transition project would maintain the extensive regional networks established under TumenNET and ensure that this significant national and international investment was not wasted. It would update and revise the TDA to ensure its continuing relevance and would continue the DPRK focussed activities that commenced late in the project. The following elements were discussed and should be seen as indicative only at this stage:
(9) Lastly, Council accepted China's offer to host the Third Council Meeting in May 2002, at a venue to be decided.
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