The Third GMS Environment Ministers Meeting was held on July 28, 2011in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Mr. Xu Qinghua, special representative of MEP Minister Zhou Shengxian and Director General of MEP Department of International Cooperation heading a Chinese delegation attended the meeting with members from MEP, MEP Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, China-ASEAN Environmental Protection Center and environmental protection bureau of Yunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Environment ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam or their representatives as well as ADB Vice President Bindu N. Lohani attended the meeting.
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen attended the meeting and gave a speech. Mr. Hun Sen affirmed the environmental cooperation in GMS in particular the progress of core environment programs. He hoped that each country further strengthen cooperation and make its contributions to sustainable development of GMS.
In his speech, Mr. Xu Qinghua briefly introduced major environmental protection achievements of China during the "11th Five-Year Plan" period and main objectives and tasks during the "12th Five-Year Plan" period. He said, the first stage of GMS Core Environment Program in particular the development of BCI have made important achievements. The second stage of the program should continuously stress the demonstration role of biodiversity conservation, strengthen sustainable use and management of biodiversity resources and make joint efforts in protecting rich ecological resources of the region.
At the meeting, relevant countries have reached agreement in principle on the Second Stage Framework on BCI of GMS Core Environment Program (2012~2016) and adopted the Joint Statement of the Third GMS Environment Ministers Meeting.
The GMS Environment Ministers Meeting is the highest decision making mechanism for environmental cooperation in the region and is held once in every three years. China used to hold The First GMS Environment Ministers Meeting in the Shanghai in 2005.