REPORT THE FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) 03 – 06 NOVEMBER 2019 DHAKA, BANGLADESH Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme No. 146/24A, Havelock Road Colombo 05 Sri Lanka CERTIFICATE The Report of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme held on 3 - 6 November 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh is herewith submitted to the members of the Governing Council and the Consultative Committee, in fulfIlment of the fInancial and administrative procedures of SACEP. Director General 30th January 2020 (iii) Report ofthe 15'" Meetillg ofthe Goven/illg C01/1/cil of South Asia Co-operative E1Iviro1lme1lt Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Ballgladesh SACEP Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh Report of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) 3 – 6 November 2019 Dhaka, Bangladesh Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh SOUTH ASIA CO-OPERATIVE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME REPORT OF THE FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL Para No. CONTENTS Page No. 1 Introduction 1 2 Attendance 1 3 Inauguration 1 4 Election of Office Bearers 2 5 Adoption of Agenda and organization of work 2 6 Country Statements / Brief Opening Remarks by the Member States 2 7 Statements by the Observers 3 8 Presentation of the Report of the Preparatory Meeting of the National 3 Focal Points by the Rapporteur 9 Discussions and Endorsement of Recommendations agreed upon at 3 the Preparatory Meeting of National Focal Points 9.1 Institutional Matters 3 9.2 Programme Matters 5 Work Programme (2019 - 2020) 10 9.3 Funding and Financial Matters 10 10 Approval of the Annual Audited Reports of Accounts for the Financial 11 Years Ending 31st December, 2016 and 31st December 2017 11 Venue and Date for the Sixteenth Meeting of the Governing Council of 11 SACEP 12 Any Other Business 12 13 Adoption of Report 12 14 Closure of Meeting 12 Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh L ist of Annexes Page No. 1 List of Participants 13 2 Welcome address by Dr. Abas Basir, Director General, SACEP 19 3 Welcome Address of the Host Country, Mr. Mahmud Hasan, Additional 23 Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh 4 Address by Head of Delegation, Mr. Idrees Malyar, Deputy Director 27 General of the National Environmental Protection Agency, Government of Afghanistan and Out-going Chairman of GC-SACEP 5 Address by the Out-going Chairman of IMM-SASP and the Head of 31 Delegation, H.E Mr. Shah Faisal Kakar, Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan in Bangladesh 6 Speech of the Special Guest, H.E Ms. Habibun Nahar, MP. Hon’ Deputy 35 Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh 7 Speech of the Special Guest, Hon’ Mr. Ahmed Mujthaba, Minister of 39 State for Environment, Republic of Maldives 8 Speech of the Special Guest, Hon’ Mr. Prakash Keshav Javadekar, 43 Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India 9 Speech of the Special Guest, H.E Mr. Md. Shahab Uddin, MP. Minister, 49 Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh 10 Speech of the Chief Guest, H. E. Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, MP. Hon’ 53 Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh ANNEX Page No. 11 Address by the Chairperson, Mr. Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, 59 Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh 12 Vote of thanks by Dr. A. K. M. Rafique Ahammed, Director General, 63 Department of Environment, Government of Bangladesh 13 Agenda and Annotated Agenda 67 14 Country Statement by Mr. Idrees Malyar, Deputy Director General, 73 National Environment Protection Agency, Head of Delegation, Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 15 Country Statement by Hon' Mr. Md. Shahab Uddin, Minister of 77 Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Head of Delegation, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 16 Country Statement by Mr. Karma C. Nedrup, Environment Specialist / 81 Director General, Head of Delegation, National Environment Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan 17 Country Statement by Hon' Mr. Prakash Keshav Javadekar 85 Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Head of Delegation, Republic of India 18 Country Statement by Hon' Mr. Ahmed Mujthaba, Minister of State for 89 Environment, Head of Delegation, Republic of Maldives 19 Country Statement by Mr. Dhirendra Kumar Pradhan, Joint Secretary 91 (Technical), Ministry of Forests and Environment, Head of Delegation, Government of Nepal 20 Country Statement by H. E. Mr. Shah Faisal Kakar, Acting High 95 Commissioner, High Commission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Dhaka, Head of Delegation, Government of Pakistan 21 Country Statement by Mr. Udaya Ranjith Seneviratne, Secretary to 99 President of Sri Lanka, Head of Delegation, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka 22 Statement by Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, United 103 Nations Environment Programme for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP-ROAP) Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh ANNEX Page No. 23 Statement by Mr. David Milton Ogden, Chief, Governance Branch 107 Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions 24 Statement by Ms. L. Ivonne Higuero Flores, Secretary-General 111 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat 25 Statement by Mr. Kazunobu Onogawa, Director of CCET, Institute for 115 Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (CCET) 26 SACEP Strategy 2020 – 2030 119 27 Resolution on Sustainable Public Procurement 133 28 South Asia Forum on the Environment (SAFE) 135 29 Roadmap for Sustainable Waste Management and Resources Circulation in South Asia, 2019-2030 139 30 Concept Note on Establishment of an Air Quality Platform for South Asia 165 31 Roadmap towards South Asia Nitrogen Framework Policy 169 32 Plastic free Rivers and Seas for South Asia: A proposed World Bank Supported Project for SACEP 177 33 Approved Work Programme for Year 2020 – 2021 183 34 Approved Secretariat Budget for 2020 - 2021 subject to the concurrence 187 of the relevant national authorities of each member country for the increase of the Country Contributions of SACEP 35 Report of the Preparatory Meeting of the National Focal Points for the 189 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of SACEP GC 15.NFP / Annex I List of Participants 199 GC 15.NFP / Annex II Welcome address by Dr. Abas Basir, 203 Director General, SACEP GC 15.NFP / Annex III Speech by Dr. Md. Billal Hossain 207 Secretary (In-charge), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh ANNEX Page No. GC 15.NFP / Annex IV Speech by Mr. Idrees Malyar, Deputy 211 Director General, National Environmental Protection Agency, Afghanistan and Out-going Chairman of GC-SACEP GC 15.NFP / Annex V Speech by Mr. Mahmud Hassan, 213 Additional Secretary (Environment), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bangladesh GC 15.NFP / Annex VI Agenda 215 GC 15.NFP / Annex VII Appointment of Director General of 221 SACEP GC 15.NFP / Annex VIII Draft SACEP Strategy 2020 – 2030 237 GC 15.NFP / Annex IX Progress Report 255 GC 15.NFP / Annex X Review of Country Contributions 275 GC 15.NFP / Annex XI External Funding 277 GC 15.NFP / Annex XII Proposed Secretariat Budget 2020 - 281 2021 with the present agreed annual contributions Report of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme 03-06 November 2019, Dhaka, Bangladesh SOUTH ASIA CO-OPERATIVE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL (15GC-SACEP) 03 – 06 NOVEMBER 2019 DHAKA, BANGLADESH 1. INTRODUCTION The Fifteenth Meeting of the Governing Council of the South Asia Co- operative Environment Programme (15GC-SACEP) was held on 6th November 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 2. ATTENDANCE The Meeting was attended by representatives from the following Member Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It was also attended by representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) and IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies (CCET) as observers. List of Participants is at Annex 1. 3. INAUGURATION The welcome Address was delivered by Dr. Abas Basir, Director General, SACEP. (Annex 2) The welcome Address of the host country was delivered by Mr. Mahmud Hasan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. (Annex 3) The out-going Chairman of GC-SACEP, the Head of Delegation, Mr. Idrees Malyar, Deputy Director General of the National Environmental Protection Agency, Government of Afghanistan then addressed the august gathering. (Annex 4) The out-going Chairman of IMM-SASP, the Head of Delegation, H.E Mr.