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Introduction

Targets of the Seoul Initiative

The vision for the Seoul Initiative lies on achieving environmentally sustainable economic growth in the Asia and Pacific region by promoting effective environmental policies. Through the implementation of the Seoul Initiative activities and its pilot projects, Asia and the Pacific will present a model initiative for Green Growth to the rest of the world with its valuable information accumulated. To achieve this goal, the Seoul Initiative focuses mainly on the following areas and issues:

	Incorporate the concept of ecological efficiency and environmental sustainability into economic and social development plan
	Share experiences on economic growth and environmental pressure
	Promote capacity building and the awareness of governments, the private sector and civil society
	Internalize environmental costs into the price structure through various economic instrument such as green GDP and tax incentives of expenditure
	Promote demand-side management to improve ecological efficiency

	Promote the polluter-pays principle in managing and protecting the quality of natural resources
	Promote environmentally friendly production processes
	Promote the effectiveness of environmental governance
	Promote practices for integrated natural resource management
	Promote partnership among various stakeholders to enhance their participation and compliance with environmental governance
	Strengthen close cooperation among the Member States and the concerned stakholders to address transboundary pollution and environmental risks

	Promote environment-related investment and environmental technology research and development as an opportunity for economic growth
	Promote and create a positive synergy between the environment and economy
	Strengthen the role of the private sector in presenting the environment as a business opportunity not as a burden or cost for the economy
	Present environmental regulations and demands for environmental quality as an opportunity to promote the environmental industry and the market for environmental goods and services
	Establish policy framework that encourages the creation of new market opportunities for infrastructure, goods and services as well as technologies related to pollution control and environmental resource management
	Enhance consumer awareness of environmentally friendly products
	Encourage sustainable ecotourism taking into consideration the natural environment of the Asia-Pacific region to generate income for its residents