A regional meeting of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is expected to be held at Hong Kong Baptist University next week to set priorities in enhancing environment protection in Central and Northeast Asia, a government press release said Saturday.

At the meeting, a draft regional report for the global project on "Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances" will be presented to environmental ministers, scientists and representatives from non-government organizations and industry from the region.

Persistent Toxic Substances are endocrine disrupters posing adverse effects such as reproductive disorders, developmental deformities, and cancer in both humans and wildlife.

The three-day will discuss 18 substances, such as Aldrin, DDT and Dioxins identified for the region and consider the capacity and needs of governments in the region to manage them.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2002)