Composition

• A subcommittee serves as a complementary committee of the Working Committee. It shall be composed per sector upon receiving approval from the General Assembly.
• Each subcommittee shall consist of managerial level officers from the relevant bureau or department of the regional government with an interest in the sector for which each subcommittee is responsible. It shall designate a coordinating member that will perform liaison, adjustment, and operation of the subcommittee by mutual vote.

Functions

• Subcommittees shall support individual projects or tasks proposed by the Association, and review and discuss other individual projects proposed by regional governments participating in the applicable subcommittee.
• Each subcommittee shall report the proceedings and the outcomes of performances to the Working Committee.

History and Current State of Subcommittees

• Five subcommittees, the Subcommittees on Economy and Trade, Cultural Exchange, Environment, Disaster Prevention, and General Exchange, were newly composed in 1998.
• The Subcommittee on Cross-Border Cooperation was newly composed in 2004.
• The Subcommittee on Science and Technology was newly composed in 2006.
• The Subcommittee on Tourism and the Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries were additionally formed in 2008.
• The Subcommittee on General Exchange and the Subcommittee on Cultural Exchange were integrated into the Subcommittee on Educational & Cultural Exchange in 2008. A total of eight subcommittees were operated in that year.
• The Subcommittee on Mineral Resources Development & Coordination, the Subcommittee on Women and Children, and the Subcommittee on Energy and Climate Change were newly composed in 2010.
• The Subcommittee on Agriculture and the Subcommittee on Bio-medical Industry were newly composed in 2011.
• The Subcommittee on Sports was newly composed in 2013.
• In 2017, the Subcommittee on Logistics and Transportation, the Subcommittee on E-Commerce, and the Subcommittee on International Exchange of Human Resources were newly composed, and the Subcommittee on Cross-Border Cooperation, the Subcommittee on Science and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Women and Children were abolished on the grounds that no member regions volunteered to act as Coordinator.
• In 2018, the Subcommittee on Tourism was operated by Henan Province, China and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and the Subcommittee on Innovation Plus, the Subcommittee on Youth Policy, and the Subcommittee on Traditional Medicine were newly composed.
• In 2023, the Subcommittee on Digital Economy and the Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation were newly established.

Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of NEAR Subcommittees

The present regulations stipulate rules regarding the establishment and operation of subcommittees in accordance with Clause 4 of Article 10 of the Charter of NEAR.

• Article 1 (Establishment)
  • For smooth operation of individual projects or tasks (hereinafter referred to as “Individual Projects”) proposed at the General Assembly or the High-level Working Committee of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments, subcommittees shall be established for each field of work.
• Article 2 (Name and Working Area) The names of the subcommittees shall be as follows:
  • 1. Subcommittee on Economy and Humanities Exchange
  • 2. Subcommittee on Environment
  • 3. Subcommittee on Educational and Cultural Exchange
  • 4. Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention
  • 5. Deleted
  • 6. Deleted
  • 7. Subcommittee on Oceans and Fisheries
  • 8. Subcommittee on Tourism
  • 9. Subcommittee on Mineral Resources Development
  • 10. Subcommittee on Energy and Climate Change
  • 11. Deleted
  • 12. Subcommittee on Bio-medical Industry
  • 13. Subcommittee on Agriculture
  • 14. Subcommittee on Sports
  • 15. Subcommittee on Logistics and Transportation
  • 16. Subcommittee on International Exchange of Human Resources
  • 17. Subcommittee on E-Commerce
  • 18. Subcommittee on Innovation Plus
  • 19. Subcommittee on Youth Policy
  • 20. Subcommittee on Traditional Medicine
  • 21. Subcommittee on Energy Cooperation
  • 22. Subcommittee on Digital Economy
• Article 3 (Functions)
  • ① Each subcommittee shall review and discuss methods to coordinate opinions among regional governments and realize project plans to promote effective execution of "Individual Projects" led by member regional governments.
  • ② Each subcommittee shall report the results of the review and discussion on “Individual Projects” proposed by regional governments to the Working Committee.
• Article 4 (Structure)
  • Each subcommittee consists of directors of local government divisions who have an interest in the field that each subcommittee is responsible for.
• Article 5 (Operation)
  • ① An elected member regional government (hereinafter referred to as “Coordinator”) shall be in charge of liaison, coordination, and operation of each subcommittee.
  • ② The office term of a Coordinator is two years, and it can be reelected. Upon request, a subcommittee can be operated jointly with a joint coordinating government.
  • ③ In principal, liaison, and coordination for the operation of a subcommittee shall be based on telecommunications such as postal mail, fax, and e-mail.
  • ④ The Coordinators of each subcommittee should host a subcommittee meeting or participate in NEAR-related activities at least once during its term.
  • ⑤ The Coordinator should endeavor to attract many participants from NEAR member regional governments to participate in the subcommittee meeting.
  • ⑥ If necessary, the High-level Working Committee can conduct evaluations on the subcommittee’s operation.
  • ⑦ The NEAR Secretariat may propose a replacement of Coordinators to the High-level Working Committee if the Coordinator has not run subcommittee meetings for more than two years and another regional government wishes to take over the role of Coordinator.
  • ⑧ The replacement of the Coordinator will be decided at the High-level Working Committee where the majority of the members are present and the members with the right to vote cast a majority (more than half) yes vote.
• Article 6 (Participation)
  • ① All member regions are eligible to participate in a subcommittee.
  • ② For efficient operation and practical outcomes of each subcommittee, the Coordinator may invite specialists, experts, or businesspersons from NEAR member regional governments.
• Article 7 (Expenses)
  • Expenses for the operation of each subcommittee shall be borne by the “Coordinator.” In the event of a subcommittee meeting being convened, expenses for transportation and accommodation shall be covered by participating regional governments, in principle.
• Article 8 (Relation to the Secretariat)
  • Each “Coordinator” shall send information organized and updated at the subcommittee to the Secretariat, which shall distribute the documentation to the rest of the regional governments.
• Article 9 (Decision-making)
  • Revision of the present regulations shall be decided by the High-level Working Committee.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on October 21, 1998.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on September 4, 2007.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on September 2, 2008.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on October 28, 2010.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on July 19, 2011.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on September 11, 2013.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on September 26, 2017.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on October 29, 2018.
• Supplementary Provision
  • These regulations shall take effect on October 25, 2023.

※ Click on the name of each Subcommittee to go to the subcommittee’s homepage.