Local Government Forum – Towards the 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting (TEMM24)
TEMM24自治体会議 
TEMM24 Meeting 
The 24th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, Korea, and China (TEMM24) took place on 3–4 November 2023 in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. In advance of this Meeting, on 26 October 2023, ICLEI Japan co-organized the Local Government Forum – Toward TEMM24 along with the TEMM24 Supporting Executive Committee (comprising Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture).
TEMM has been held annually since 1999. Within this framework, the three countries aim to play a leading role in environmental management in Northeast Asia and contribute to improving the global environment. The TEMM holds an annual ministerial meeting on a rotating basis among the three countries to have a dialogue and issue a joint communiqué. TEMM projects are implemented based on the agreements reached at the ministerial meetings.
At the forum, local governments from the three countries presented case studies of their environmental field and shared their knowledge and experiences, thereby deepening cooperation between the participating local governments.
Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City, stated that the active involvement of local governments in sustainability issues would further deepen cooperation among the three countries and contribute to achieving sustainable environment goals.
The theme of the forum was circular economy and biodiversity, and participants included Aichi Prefecture, Kitakyushu City, Nagoya City, Sado City, Guiyang and Daqing in China, as well as Gwangming, Goyang, and Suncheon in South Korea. The participating local governments demonstrated their cross-sectoral approach to addressing the challenges faced by their cities, highlighting the cooperation between national and local governments, as well as citizens and businesses. During the panel discussions, a lively exchange of views on what the speakers regarded as important issues for each theme, and what they would like to learn from other local governments.
The Joint Declaration presented at the Local Government Forum was handed over to Shintaro Ito, the Minister of the Environment, by Midori Sugino, Deputy Mayor of Nagoya City, and Togo Uchida, Executive Director of ICLEI Japan. The Joint Declaration was also presented at a welcome reception hosted by Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture, where the outcomes of the Local Government Forum were communicated to the Trilateral Government officials, and local governments can actively contribute to the goals of TEMM in the future.
Through international frameworks such as the TEMM, the role of local governments in environmental issues and cooperation between national and regional governments will continue to become increasingly important, making further contributions.
Deputy Minister of the Environment’s address (Japanese) to the Local Government Forum, click here.
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