UNEP - Regional Office for Asia Pacific

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REGIONAL WORK

Featured Project:
The ECCO project strengthens the capacity of national governments to carry out vulnerability and impact assessments for adaptation. More

	Climate Change in Asia Pacific
Asia Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change and impacts are likely to become more intense in future. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events have contributed to loss of crop yield in many countries. Crop yields are projected to decline by a further 10 percent by 2020. More

Featured Project:
Responding to cyclone Nargis, Myanmar, UNEP played a central role in mainstreaming environmental concerns. More

	Disasters and conflicts in Asia Pacific
Nearly half of the world's natural disasters occur in the Asia and the Pacific region. In 2008 alone, the region accounted for more than half of the 220 major disasters that took place, which affected more than 55 million people and resulted in 7,000 deaths and US$15 billion in damages. More

Featured Project:
The Hindu Kush-Karakorum-Himalaya is one of the worlds most culturally and ecologically significant More

	Ecosystem Management in Asia Pacific
The Asia Pacific region boasts a high level of biological and cultural diversity which has greatly shaped its history and economic activities. While the region occupies less than 10 per cent of the planet's total surface, it is home to more than half of the world's human population and some of the most diverse plant and animal species in the world. More

Featured Project:
To further strengthen capacity to implement environmental law, UNEP organizes global training on environmental law and policy. More

	Environmental Governance in Asia Pacific
While there has been significant progress in the last decade in the development of environmental institutions and legislation, the region's burgeoning economic growth and growing population have taken a toll on its natural resource base and the environment. More

Featured Project:
UNEP seeks to promote chemical safety by providing technical advice and guidance and build the capacity of developing countries. More

	Harmful Substances in Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, harmful and hazardous waste threatens millions of people. Left unchecked, these wastes could pose severe hazards. Asia's high population density and often tropical climate put it especially at risk for contamination. Regulations have increased but enforcement remains inadequate. More

Featured Project:
The Green Economy Initiative (GEI) is designed to assist governments in "greening" their economies. More

	Resource Efficiency in Asia Pacific
Most of the global growth in resource use has occurred in high-income Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, but recently the Asia and the Pacific region has emerged as a major global resource consumer and has surpassed the rest of world in material use. More

REGIONAL NEWS

		Asia Pacific Could Account for 40% of Global Environmental Footprint in 2015 New Delhi/Beijing/Bangkok, 6 June 2012 - The world continues to speed down an unsustainable path despite over 500 internationally agreed goals and objectives to support the sustainable management of the environment and improve human wellbeing, according to a new and wide-ranging assessment coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

		New Agricultural Biodiversity Project to Improve Nutrition and Food Security Worldwide Rio de Janeiro, 28 April 2012 – Placing renewed emphasis on sustaining the natural variety of crops and animals contributing to agriculture, including neglected yet nutritious traditional foods, can improve food security and address growing global concerns over poor nutrition and its negative health effects, officials said at the launch of a new international project at the World Nutrition Rio Congress 2012.

		Pacific Islands Face Severe Water Threat, New Report says Bangkok, 23 April 2012 – The unique freshwater challenge facing many small islands in the Pacific is spotlighted in a new report released by the UN Environment Programme today. The report, “Freshwater under Threat – Pacific Islands”, found that the almost total reliance on rain-fed agriculture across all islands puts economies and livelihoods at risk. Nearly 10% of deaths of children under five in the region is attributable to water related causes; 90% of these deaths, according to the report, can be traced to poor sanitation treatment systems. Report is available in PDF : Freshwater under Threat – Pacific Islands

VIDEO:
First AMARC Asia Pacific Community Radio Training Forum 11-13 December 2011, Bangkok, Thailand

Suman Basnet	Marcelo Solervicens	Saiful Bakhtiar	P. Krishnamurthi	Partiva Chhetri

REGIONAL EVENTS

Capacity Building Workshop on “Transition towards Resource Efficiency and a

Green Economy”, Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, 3 March 2011

UNEP and the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism (MNET)

will jointly organize a small group capacity building workshop on transition towards resource efficiency and a green economy on 3 March 2011 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This is aimed at awareness raising and capacity building to support MNET's plan to develop a national roadmap for transition toward resource efficiency and a green economy. UNEP will also work with MNET to define the scope and the elements of the national roadmap for resource efficiency, Sustainable production and consumption and a green economy.

Workshop on Law to Promote Resource Efficiency, Sustainable Consumption

and Production and Green Economy, Hanoi, Vietnam, 4 March 2011

UNEP and the Vietnam Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) will jointly organize a workshop on Law to promote resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production and green economy on 4 March 2011 2011, Hanoi, Vietnam, with funding from Hanns Siedel Foundation. This is an inception workshop to launch a project in Vietnam to support the plan of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) to develop a national legal framework for promoting resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production and a green economy.

Train-the-Trainers Workshop for Customs Officers, 25-27 June 2012, Ulaanbaatar
The training is targeted for representatives of Customs and Enforcement Departments of Mongolia for them to acquire strengthened and sustained capacity to efficiently monitor and control trade in the ozone-depleting HCFCs. HCFC import to Mongolia will soon be reduced and eventually phased out under the Montreal Protocol. A media workshop on HCFC phase-out is also scheduled on 27 June to enhance media understanding on linkages between ozone depletion and climate change. For more info: www.unep.org/ozonaction

Driving Innovation Towards a Green Economy: Lessons Learned and Recommendations from the Field in Asia and the Pacific,
14 June, 2012, 13:00-14:45, UNEP Pavilion Auditorium, Rio de Janeiro
At the Rio+20 Conference, the APFED Showcase Programme will demonstrate tangible, local level activities that have proven successful at alleviating poverty, transitioning to a green economy and achieving sustainable development. APFED will host a panel discussion aimed at empowering stakeholders to drive innovation in the Asia Pacific region using the lessons learned and insights gained from the success stories of the Showcase projects. The APFED event will focus on the power and inspiration of positive partnerships that contribute to poverty eradication in local communities. For more information, please visit: http://www.apfed.net/showcase/

6^th NEAYEN Regional Meet: The Road to Rio 2012: “Sustainable Lifestyles for a Green Economy”, 21-24 May 2012, Beijing, China

The Road to Rio 2012: Sustainable Lifestyles for a Green Economy is the theme of 6^th North East Asia Youth Environment Network (NEAYEN) meeting, which will take place on 21-24 May 2012 in Beijing, China. The meeting is hosted by the National Committee for theRepublic of Korea and jointly organized by UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. It will gather young leaders from North East Asian countries and aims to foster cooperation, exchange and discussion among North East Asian youths and strengthen the capacity of these young leaders on themes and issues related to Rio+20. Themes will mirror key themes of Rio+20, the green economy in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development and an institutional framework for sustainable development.

The meeting will provide a platform for North East Asian youth to craft a document on Rio+20 and North East Asian youth views. This document will be incorporated into an Asia Pacific Youth Rio+20 document and submitted to the 2012 summit so that their views can be heard.

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Urban Water Vulnerability to Climate Change in Mongolia

This study aims to present the impacts of climate change upon urban water particularly upon the performance of the urban water supply, wastewater and storm water infrastructure, through compiling exi ...

High mountain glaciers and climate change: Challenges to human livelihoods and adaptation

Climate change is causing signifcant mass loss of glaciers in high mountains worldwide. Although glacier systems show a great amount of inherent complexity and variation, there are clear overall tren ...

Global Biodiversity Outlook 3

This Outlook presents some stark choices for human societies. On one hand it warns that the diversity of living things on the planet continues to be eroded as a result of human activities. The pressu ...

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SUCCESS STORIES

Guarding the Seas with
Green Fins

Supported by UNEP, the Green Fins project encourages dive and resort operators as well as divers themselves, to adopt eco-friendly practices during their exploration of coral reefs.