U.S.-Singapore 2005-2007 Plan of Action for Environmental Cooperation

The Government of the United States and the Government of the Republic of Singapore will consider this Plan of Action when they meet to consult under the Memorandum of Intent between the United States of America and the Republic of Singapore on Cooperation in Environmental Matters (MOI). The U.S. and Singapore Governments ("the Governments") will review progress toward achieving the goals of this Plan in all of their future consultations to review the status of cooperation under the MOI. The goals and activities set forth in this Plan may be updated and amended in future consultations between the Governments on environmental cooperation.

I. Background

The MOI identifies environmental issues of mutual interest to the Governments, and establishes a mechanism through which the Governments can pursue cooperative efforts in those areas. In it, the Governments also established their intent to engage in cooperative bilateral activities and, where appropriate, in regional activities to promote sustainable environmental policies and practices and effective measures in support of sustainable development (MOI Section 2.1)

The MOI establishes the following types of activities as possible areas of cooperation between the Governments:

a) Strengthening cooperative relationships so as to build institutional capacity to promote environmental management, including through compliance, enforcement, and performance;

b) Exchanging information on environmental best practices of industry, including the application of cleaner processes and technologies and sustainable production practices;

c) Exploring possible avenues for technological cooperation, including research and development and facilitating the transfer of new technologies on mutually agreed terms;

d) Promoting improved environmental protection, including natural resources, through such mechanisms as: incentives for conserving, restoring, or enhancing the environment; energy efficiency and renewable energy; public/private partnerships; endangered species conservation; improved natural resource management; and environmental education.

In accordance with the MOI, the Governments have identified the following goals to be pursued during the period 2005-2007, noting that bilateral and regional efforts may complement each other in many cases:

1) Further improving capacity to implement and enforce environmental law, including further enhancing efforts of countries in the region to combat illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods (e.g., wildlife, ozone-depleting substances, and forest products) through bilateral and regional cooperative activities.

2) Encouraging the bilateral and regional use of innovative environmental technology and pollution management techniques.

3) Increasing participation in regional initiatives on environmentally sustainable cities, sustainable management and trade in sustainable managed resources, such as fisheries and forests.

The Governments acknowledge that participation in regional activities might be at the consent of the organizers as well as at the discretion of invited countries.

Below are illustrative examples of each goal, taken from activities that are currently underway, in the planning stages, or proposed:

1) Improving capacity to implement and enforce environmental laws and to combat illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods ( e.g., wildlife, ozone-depleting substances, forest products) through cooperative activities:

• Visit(s) to the United States by Singaporean officials to meet and consult with U.S. counterparts engaged in enforcing environmental trade laws, including controls imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol). Particularly important in 2005 are cooperative efforts to implement the recent CITES uplisting of the tropical hardwood ramin.
• Workshops sponsored by U.S. (State OESI, EAP) on improving enforcement against wildlife trafficking at airports, conducted by necessary experts and inviting participants from airports in the region, including not only Singapore but also other regional airports that could serve as source or transshipment points for illegal wildlife trade.
• A conference or bilateral meeting(s) of officials from relevant agencies [FWS, USDA, DHS, DOJ, EPA, State; Singaporean counterparts] to discuss, among other topics:
  • The Governments' existing laws, policies and procedures relevant to trade (including transit and transshipment) of environmentally sensitive goods.
  • Mechanisms for governmental cooperation and measures the Governments should take to improve the control of this trade (including transit and transshipment) of environmentally sensitive goods.
• Exploration of avenues for legal cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of environment-related crime.
• Encouraging cooperation in criminal and civil enforcement of laws related to trade in environmentally sensitive goods, including cooperation in investigating violations, provided that such cooperative activities are in accordance with and subject to domestic laws of each country respectively.

• Technical exchanges on approaches to effective implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, including, for example:
  • The use of criminal, civil and administrative enforcement authorities;
  • Techniques for conducting inspections of regulated facilities and investigations into possible violations;
  • Voluntary approaches to promote compliance with environmental laws;
  • Enforcement and compliance indicators and performance evaluation;
  • Laws, policies and approaches to engaging public participation and ensuring public access to information and access to justice on matters affecting the environment.

2) Encouraging the bilateral and regional use of innovative environmental technology and pollution management techniques:

• Technical exchanges to share information on air pollution management, focusing on particular topics such as cleaner fuels and technologies for vehicles, remote sensing devices for monitoring vehicular emissions and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
• Research and development in marine environmental technology to prevent pollution from ships:
  • Cooperation between the Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority and Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE), and the United State Coast Guard (USCG) and Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the feasibility of setting up an Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program in Singapore for the marine environment. Cooperation between IESE and USCG toward jointly developing (a) ballast water technology assessment protocols, and (b) rapid diagnostic tools for ballast water quality monitoring and rapid identification of potential alien invasive species.

o Investigate similar cooperation in ETV harmonization through outreach to other U.S. and Singapore R&D centers.

• Encourage use of innovative environmental technology in urban water/wastewater/solid waste management by highlighting effective use of this technology in Singapore and United States along with support in efforts to draw potential investors into the region.
• Exchanging information on environmental best practices of industry, including the application of cleaner processes and technologies and sustainable production practices.

3) Increasing participation by both Parties in regional initiatives on sustainable management and trade in sustainable managed resources, such as fisheries and forests, and environmentally sustainable cities, where appropriate:

• Explore regional collaboration in Asia-Pacific Region to develop and promote regional networks of cooperation in environmental compliance and enforcement by improvement of regional compliance with CITES and the Montreal Protocol. This could include participation in initiatives against wildlife trafficking announced by ASEAN Ministers and the Royal Thai Government at the 2004 CITES Conference of the Parties.
• Participation by both Parties in regional initiatives on sustainable management and trade in sustainable managed resources, such as fisheries and forests.
• Participation by both parties in regional initiatives and strategies on preventing the spread of potential alien invasive species.
• U.S. participation in the Regional Environmentally Sustainable Cities Programme ( chaired by Singapore) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

III. BENCHMARKS

As the Governments more narrowly define cooperative programs, projects, and activities under the Plan, the Governments will strive to identify performance indicators and benchmarks to measure appropriately the progress made in accomplishing or otherwise furthering the goals and objectives of such programs, projects and activities and will facilitate public reporting of that progress. To the degree that the Governments use independent sources of monitoring data and evaluation to assess progress, they should collaborate with those other sources in identifying suitable performance indicators and benchmarks.

IV. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The Governments intend to seek and consider input from relevant local, regional, and international organizations, including, but not limited to, ASEAN and APEC, regarding relevant environmental conditions and indicators and views on the utility of cooperation under this Plan of Action. The Governments will also encourage public participation in setting goals for and implementing environmental collaboration, and will make information on activities carried out under the MOI available to the public on a regular basis. At their regular consultations under the MOI, the Governments plan to establish benchmarks and indicators in order to evaluate progress made toward meeting the goals established under the Plan of Action.