The Fifteenth Meeting of the Committee of International Development Institutions on the Environment (CIDIE) was held at the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters in Nairobi, from 5 to 6 September 1994. The meeting was attended by five CIDIE member institutions, those being, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAQ), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP

This volume of the Regional Coordinating Unit for the East Asian Seas Action Plan (EASIRCU) Technical Reports Series contains the proceedings of the Phuket Workshop on Biological Effects of Pollutants. The main thrust of the Workshop, as perceived by the COBSEA, was essentially capacity-building in the form of training of the scientists of the countries of the region in the state of the art methodologies and techniques for assessing and monitoring the biological effects of pollutants in the marine environment. It was expected that these scientists will in turn impart their newly acquired skills to others back in their national laboratories and institutions.
Furthermore, the objectives of the Workshop were also selected in a manner so as to bring them close to those of the IOC/UNEP Group of Experts on the Effects of Pollutants (GEEP). Thus, ensuring that the results of latest methodologies in monitoring and assessment
of the biological effects of pollutants in the marine environment, in as much as possible of a standardized manner in the region, be made available for the effective management of the region's coastal and marine areas.

The Workshop on Environmental and Natural Resource Accounting with Particular Reference to Countries in Transition to Market Economies was held in Modra Harmonia, Slovak Republic.

The UNEP Consultative Expert Group Meeting on the Application of Economic Instruments for Environmental Management and Sustainable Development was held at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi from 10-12 August 1994. It followed the Consultative Expert Group Meeting on Valuation of Environmental and Natural Resources held from 8-10 August 1994. The objective of the meeting was to review the use and practical application of economic instruments for environmental management and sustainable development, their applicability in developing countries and the implications and modalities for their introduction. The meeting also considered financial resources and mechanisms required to fund sustainable development programmes. At the end of the
meeting, a panel of 5 experts was selected to brief the UNEP Permanent Representatives of the outcome of the discussions. Attached as Annex I is the briefing session with the Permanent Representatives. The meeting was attended by 55 participants representing developing countries, countries in transition to market economies (ClTs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, research institutions, and other UN agencies. Agenda of the meeting and list of participants are attached as Annex II and Ill respectively.