Participants at the CAN meeting

The Collaborative Action Network (CAN), held its Ninth Annual Meeting in Pathumthani, Thailand on 05 March 2009. This meeting was convened in commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of AIT-UNEP partnership and 50th Anniversary of AIT. CAN partners and donors of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) including Central Asia (CA), South Asia (SA), South East Asia (SEA), North East Asia (NEA), and South Pacific (SP) participated in the meeting. The Regional Advisors of UNEP also attended the Meeting as well as staff of UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). The Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) served as the CAN Secretariat. Prof. Nay Htun, Regional Advisor and Chairman of CAN, delivered the Opening Address and welcomed everyone to the CAN meeting. He also extended warm welcome to Dr. Young Woo Park as the new Regional Director of UNEP ROAP and to Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director of Resource Mobilization and Special Initiatives, as the Special Representative of UNEP Executive Director to the CAN Meeting. The main objectives of the meeting were: (a) to brief CAN partners on the progress of RRC.AP over the past year, share elements of a draft strategy for RRC.AP, and seek inputs for enhancing collaboration; (b) to launch 5 print versions of sub-regional documents, namely: Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) for CA, SDS for SA, SDS for Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), SA Youth “We Hold our Future”, and the Assessment of NSDS Preparedness in GMS countries (status, trends, the way forward); and (c) to discuss the preparedness and interest of the region in developing the Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform for Asia. Each sub-region had an opportunity to exchange information and brainstorm on the issues related to the mechanisms of knowledge exchange as part of the new regional initiative. The new initiative is a partnership between UNEP - Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), with funding support from the Swedish Environment Secretariat for Asia (SENSA). Please see meeting materials at:

Regional Advisors

The 11th Session of the Annual Advisory Committee Meeting of UNEP RRC.AP was held on 6 March 2009 at Pathumthani, Thailand. The meeting was opened by Prof. Nay Htun, Chairman of the Collaborative Action Network (CAN). He suggested a more dynamic role for RRC.AP to complement the efforts of the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. All eight Advisors considered outcomes of the CAN meeting and the RRC.AP 2008 annual report, as well as the draft RRC.AP Strategy for 2009-13. The Advisors provided strategic guidance to RRC.AP, taking into account the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Centre this year. Mr. Young Woo Park, Regional Director of UNEP ROAP announced the nomination of Mr. Mahesh Pradhan as an Interim Director of RRC.AP. Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director of Resource Mobilization and Special Initiatives at UNEP Headquarters, proposed short term, medium term and long term strategic directions for RRC.AP, which were enclosed by the Annual Advisory Committee Meeting.

NSDS publications

CAN launched five publications of Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) for Central Asia, SDS for South Asia, SDS South Asian Youth version “We Hold our Future”, SDS for Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and "National Sustainable Development Strategies in GMS countries: Status, Trends, The Way Forward". Strategies provide vision of countries and propose sustainable development pathway for each of the three subregions, suggest mechanisms to enhance legislative and institutional set-up within each sub-region with the intention of improving interstate policy and implementation by mainstreaming environmental concerns in long-term planning for sustainable development of each subregion. The documents were prepared in a participatory process in consultation with concerned line ministries, intergovernmental, international and civil society organizations. These strategies were prepared by SIC ISDC, Development Alternatives (DA-India), Thailand Environment Institute (TEI), with technical and financial facilitation from Regional Resource Center of Asia and the Pacific as part of the Capacity Building Project for NSDS Asia Pacific, supported by UNEP, the Government of Norway and Asian Development Bank (for the GMS component).

Participants of the 4th High–Level Official Meeting on Environment and Health

The Fourth High-Level Officials Meeting on Environment and Health in Southeast and East Asian countries was held on 24-25 March 2009 in Beijing, PR China. The meeting was jointly organized by UNEP and the World Health Organization (WHO). About 80 participants from the Environment and Health Ministries in 14 Southeast and East Asian countries and other relevant international organizations participated in the meeting which reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Charter. The opening ceremony was addressed by Mr. Wu Xiaoqing, Vice Minister of MEP, Dr. Chen Xiaohong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health, and Dr. Linda Milan, Acting Director of WHO Regional Office. On behalf of UNEP, Dr. Young-Woo Park, Regional Director of ROAP delivered the opening remarks. The progress in the implementation of the Charter at the regional level was jointly presented by Mr. Mylvakanam Iyngararasan of UNEP and Dr. Hisashi Ogawa of WHO. The Republic of Korea also presented its preparatory arrangements to host the Second Ministerial Regional Forum on Environment and Health. Dr. Young-Woo Park, Regional Director of ROAP, Mr. Mylvakanam Iyngararasan, Mr. Shigefumi Okumura, Mr. Guilberto Borongan and Ms. Juri Jung of UNEP RRC.AP participated in the meeting.

Participants and Resource Persons at the Training

The UNEP RRC.AP in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA, conducted a week-long training on aerosol filter sampling and post sampling analysis. Five technicians (3 from Maldives and 2 from Nepal) participated in the training organized to enhance the capacity of scientists and technicians involved in the ABC observatories in Maldives and Nepal. As aerosol filter sampling has been an integral part of observatory program of the Project Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC), the training provided theoretical knowledge on various aspects of atmospheric aerosol filter sampling and working principles of various instruments. The trainees also learned post sampling analytical techniques and analysis, and preliminary data analysis techniques. They had hands-on experience on filter sampling of PM10 and PM2.5 and subsequent post sampling analytical analysis, and data analysis. The training program was conducted by Dr. N.T. Kim Oanh and her team at AIT, and Dr. James J. Schauer from UOW-Madison, a member of the ABC Science Team. Dr. Maheswar Rupakheti from UNEP RRC.AP assisted in the conduct of the training.

Participants of the Ha Tinh Consultation

The Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), Ministry of Natural and Resource Environment of Vietnam organized a Consultation meeting on the Ha Tinh Assessment Report on Climate Change, on 17 March 2009. The consultation was participated by around 25 people coming from various sectors in Ha Tinh province, including agricultural provincial offices, Science Union and people committee. The draft report was presented for comments and suggestions for further improvement. The meeting adopted the report and considered its importance for environmental policy and planning at the Ha Tinh province. Mr. Jinhua Zhang of UNEP ROAP and Ms. Tunnie Srisakulchairak of UNEP RRC.AP participated in the consultation.

Participants at the 3R High-Level Seminar

The Asia 3R High-Level Seminar was held on 9 March 2009 at Mita Conference Hall, Tokyo, Japan. About 80 senior government officials and prominent 3R experts from eleven participating countries in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) participated in the Seminar. Other international organizations and funding agencies, including ADB, OECD, Secretariat of the Basel Convention, UNCRD, UNEP, UNESCAP, UNIDO, JICA, and GTZ were also represented. The Honorable Minister of Environment in Japan, H.E. Dr. Tetsuo Saito, welcomed the participants and highlighted in his speech the Material Cycle Society in Asia’s support to the integrated waste management relative to the 3R concept. The Seminar recognized the need for strategic implementation and identified priority areas and activities on 3Rs in the Asian region. The Seminar also endorsed the proposal for establishing Regional 3R Forum in Asia. Dr. Young-Woo Park, Regional Director of UNEP ROAP, Mr. Shigefumi Okumura and Mr. Guilberto Borongan of UNEP RRC.AP participated in the high-level seminar.

Resource Persons at the Workshop on the Promotion of 3Rs in Schools in Malaysia

The Workshop on the Promotion of 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) Program at the School level in Klang Valley was held on 24 February 2009 at Holiday Villa Hotel, Subang, Selangor, Malaysia. About 80 participants from the local governments, civil society organizations and the academe attended the workshop which was held in collaboration with the Department of National Solid Waste Management/Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The workshop focused on the implementation of the existing 3R policies and formulation of a national 3R strategy. It also showcased best practices on 3R activities in schools and local governments. Mr. Guilberto Borongan of UNEP RRC.AP participated in the workshop.

UNEP Presentation in MARCC Inception Workshop

A national inception workshop to start the process of preparing the Mongolian Assessment Report on Climate Change (MARCC) was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism (MNET) on 15 January 2009 at UlaanBaatar City. The workshop aimed at developing national capacity on climate change assessment and data and information management, in respond to a need for generating scientifically credible information on the national priorities on climate change and sustainable development. About 35 participants from the line ministries attended the workshop. The participants discussed and agreed on an outline of assessment activities and timelines. Mr. Jinhua Zhang of UNEP ROAP and Ms. Tunnie Srisakulchairak from UNEP RRC.AP attended the workshop.

Mr. Sahil Prasad, a master student of law and legal practice at the University of Technology in Sydney (Australia), assisted the UNEP Programme on Youth and Civil Society Organizations.

Mr. Muhammad Abid Khan, a mass communications graduate student from the University of Punjab (Pakistan), is assisting the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) under the Capacity Building Component at UNEP RRC.AP.

Mr. Grigory Samoylov, a master student of urban environmental management with the School of Environment, Resources and Development at the Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand), is assisting the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) Project under the Capacity Building Component at UNEP RRC.AP.

Ms. Lee Hyun Jeong, a master of public administration student from the Graduate School of Governance at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul (Korea) assisted the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) Project at UNEP RRC.AP’s Capacity Building Component.

Ms. Ha Na Hong, a master of public administration student from the Graduate School of Governance at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul (Korea), assisted the DPRK project under the assessment component at UNEP RRC.AP.

Ms. Gabrielle Kleber, a master student in environmental-based chemical engineering at Michigan State University (USA), assisted the Assessment Component at UNEP RRC.AP.