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 UpdatesChinese Official Feted for Environmental Compliance Leadership
The Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) will give its first Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment by a Woman to Tang Xingqun, Deputy Director-General of the Chongqing Environmental Protection Bureau. The award, for leadership and contributing to environmental compliance and enforcement, will be made at AECEN's Annual Forum in Bali on November 24-26. USAID is the sole supporter of this year’s forum and provides principal funding for AECEN, which promotes improved compliance with environmental policies, laws and regulations. ASEAN Single Window Moves Closer to Reality The first component of the USAID-supported ASEAN Single Window (ASW) program, an application for sharing Certificates of Origin, was demonstrated for customs authorities in Kuala Lumpur. The application will be deployed to participating countries by early January. The ASW program, which will make custom clearance faster when it is implemented, is a key component in ASEAN’s trade facilitation strategy. Incidence of Malaria Drops in Greater Mekong Subregion Global Fund representatives reported a reduction in malaria morbidity and mortality in the Greater Mekong Subregion at the recent USAID Mekong Malaria Program (MMP) Core Partners’ Meeting in Bangkok. Participants also discussed the need for containment measures along the Thai-Cambodian border for malaria resistant to artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). Top Lamp Producers Set Quality Standards at USAID’s Urging The world's four largest lighting manufacturers drafted Asia's first performance guidelines for energy-saving lamps. USAID spearheaded this initiative to ensure compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) meet quality benchmarks. CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescent lamps and last eight to 10 times longer. However, a USAID study found that half the CFLs made in Asia don't perform as advertised. Philips, OSRAM, General Electric, and Havells Sylvania, which produce one-third the CFLs sold in Asia, along with several large Chinese manufacturers and national lighting associations, drew up the guidelines. Japanese to Help Thai Experts Prevent, Manage Soil Contamination Japan's Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and Thailand's Pollution Control Department agreed to launch a new partnership in Bangkok to prevent and manage soil contamination. Japan's Ministry of Environment is a pioneer in soil and groundwater contamination and through IGES will strengthen Thailand’s efforts to develop policies to prevent and manage soil contamination. USAID-supported AECEN, the leading platform for promoting environmental governance in Asia, arranged the partnership. USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia
The Mission’s regional approach to development projects provides a cost-effective way to manage services and programs. It strengthens regional institutions and helps to engage regional and international partners. RDMA was established in Bangkok in 2003 to manage bilateral USAID programs in Asian countries without USAID Missions, including Burma, China, Laos, and Thailand. It now oversees bilateral and regional programs that benefit all of East Asia and much of South Asia. |
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USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) oversees a broad portfolio of programs addressing numerous regional and transnational issues, such as responsible use of natural resources, improved access to clean water, reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, prevention of human and wildlife trafficking, facilitating trade, and resolving political and economic conflict.