Project Diaries: 1997
18 September
On September 18, 1997 in signing the Jakarta Declaration on Environment and Development the ASEAN Ministers for the Environment officially endorsed the implementation of a series of flagship projects in the area of environmental cooperation in ASEAN, including the ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC).
18 and 22 July
The Financing Agreement between the European Communities and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on ARCBC, was signed in Brussels, Belgium on 18 July 1997. On July 22 the Government of the Philippines signed on behalf of the ASEAN and has designated the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as the Executing Agency.
March
A Selection and Evaluation Team conducted an ocular survey of the recommended sites for the location of the ARCBC. A portion of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) was chosen to house the office of ARCBC.
07-08 January
At the 3rd Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment, the Ministers expressed their support for the establishment of ARCBC as a flagship project and requested ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment to expedite the necessary approvals required on the ASEAN side.