US-SINGAPORE MEMORANDUM OF INTENT ON ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION

US-SINGAPORE MEMORANDUM OF INTENT ON ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION

4.

Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the nationwide programmes to be implemented over the next two years following the recent review of the US-Singapore Memorandum of Intent on Environmental Cooperation; (b) whether there will be new areas of focus and collaboration; and (c) whether there will also be strategic plans to help mobilise our neighbours in the region onto the "green path".

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Singapore and the US signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) on Cooperation in Environmental Matters on 13th June 2003. This was done under the auspices of the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA). The MOI provides a formal framework for co-operation between the two countries in environmental protection and management.

The recent meeting held on 30th October 2007 took stock of the several joint activities that have been successfully undertaken during this first Plan of Action (POA) for 2005-2007. These joint activities included sharing of experiences in building environmentally sustainable cities, learning visits on energy conservation, and co-hosting of a regional CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) workshop.

With the successful implementation of the first POA for 2005-2007, both countries are satisfied with the current operating mechanism and remain committed to ensuring environmental sustainability in tandem with enhancing bilateral trade and investment ties.

In this regard, more areas for collaboration to be undertaken have been identified in the recent meeting under the second POA covering the period 2008-2010. These activities

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aim to promote greater use of climate-friendly and other innovative environmental technologies through sharing of technical expertise and experiences in implementation. The areas cover air quality management (focusing on cleaner fuels and technologies for industries and vehicles), terrain decontamination (following a chemical, biological or radiological incident) and energy efficient technology.

Both the US and Singapore have also agreed to enhance cooperation in the areas of reducing or preventing illegal discharge of oil at sea by ships and on reducing air emissions from ships, as well as on watershed management and water safety. These will be conducted through workshops and technical exchanges.

Under the second POA, both countries also hope to increase our participation in regional environmental initiatives. Among others, Singapore, as previous Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities, will continue to facilitate partnerships between US states and ASEAN cities to work together in the areas of clean water, clean air, and clean land under this Working Group.

Regional workshops and dialogues will continue to be conducted in the second POA to train port inspectors and custom authorities in the region to identify CITES-listed endangered species.

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