S'pore joins UN environmental push

S'pore joins UN environmental push

SINGAPORE (DPA): Singapore has announced it will team up with Brazil, Germany and South Africa to launch a collective initiative aimed at stepping up environmental protection efforts by the United Nations, news reports said yesterday.

The initiative would focus on shielding the earth's climate and forests, and on problems of urban development, Singapore officials said.

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong accepted an invitation from German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to join in the push for "worldwide protection of the natural resources of life and sustainable development," a statement from Singapore's Information Ministry said.

Heads of state from the four countries plan to announce details of the initiative at a special session of the U.N. General Assembly to be held in New York from June 23 to June 27.