Newsletter

RRC.AP participated and presented the update of the JAIF project proposal on 'Development of Capacity for the Substitution and the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Mercury-containing Medical Measuring Devices' during partner's dialogue session of the 4th ASEAN Working Group on Chemicals and Waste on 14-15 May 2019 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar (AWGCW). The AWGCW was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar and ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting noted that based on inputs from ASEAN Member States (AMS), RRC.AP will propose replication of the project in other AMS, following the successful implementation of the current project.

Targeting grassroots and local organizations primarily from Northeastern Thailand. RRC.AP convened a workshop on "Capacity Building Programme on Developing Project Proposals for Climate Change Adaptation and the Green Climate Fund Simplified Approval Process" in Bangkok on13-17 May 2019. The purpose is to build the capacity of stakeholders in developing climate change adaptation projects aimed at a multitude of donors including the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Thai Environment Fund, Thai Research Fund, and international sources such as the Green Climate Fund.

Over the course of one week, the trainees were able to elaborate four concrete draft adaptation project ideas. Resource persons from various AIT partners and development agencies contributed to the success of the event. These agencies included high-level officers from the Thai Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Canadian Embassy in Thailand, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and Green Climate Fund among others.

RRC.AP continued where it left off in the Environment Awareness Series last April. The second of the series was on the topic of plastic waste reduction to prevent marine litter. This workshop demonstrated an interactive, practical, solution-oriented session on "Communities Participation in Reducing Marine Plastic Litter" held 8 May 2019 at Milton E. Bender Auditorium (MEB), AIT. After the presentation, participants had hands-on activities on segregating different types of plastic bottles and other plastic materials. A film screen was also organized showing a number of short documentaries on how local action against plastic waste has been successful in the Caribbean region on the evening of the same day.

In celebration of the three decades of service to Asia and the Pacific, RRC.AP is organizing a series of workshop, seminars, and movie nights among others to raise awareness on the environment. The series which will run from April to August 2019 aims to inspire and provoke conversations between stakeholders on pertinent issues on air pollution, climate change, and waste management which we all face today as individuals and as a society. The Environment awareness series kicked off with the "Air Pollution Awareness Workshop on Impacts of PM2.5" on 3 April 2019 held in AIT Bangkok. The workshop provided an overview on the current issues and situations on PM2.5 in Thailand, the knowledge about the air quality, and the recommendations and measures to mitigate air pollution. The workshop covered the health effects of PM2.5, current situation in Bangkok, its sources, measures taken by the government and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and their effectiveness, and measures. The result of the recent study on PM2.5 in Thailand was also presented during the workshop.

RRC.AP participated at the 6th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development's Pavilion of Partnership "Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality" and showcased an in-depth review of cluster of goals 4 – Quality Education; 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; 10 – Reduced Inequalities; 13 – Climate Action; 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions during 27-29 March 2019 at UNCC in Bangkok. The objective of the Pavilion of Partnerships is to provide additional informal space for member States, civil society, UN agencies and other stakeholders to share good practices for integrated and inclusive approaches for implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a focus on the cluster of SDGs (4, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 17).

AIT lead by RRC.AP and IUCN Asia Regional Office (IUCN ARO), Bangkok, Thailand are jointly working to establish an alliance between the countries of the Himalayan region and the countries of the Mekong Region, named "the HIMEK", which will be a regional cooperation framework for promoting efforts on the climate change mitigation and adaptation to reduce the effects of the climate change in the region with special focus on emission reduction of black carbon particles and forest landscape restoration. An Inception meeting on the HIMEK was organized at IUCN ARO on 18 March 2018. The meeting was attended by the representatives from IUCN, RRC.AP, RECOFTC, FAO, and Environment and Health Foundation (India). It discussed issues pertaining to the impacts of black carbon particles on the Himalaya region and the need for forest land restoration to reduce impacts of climate change on the region. It also discussed options for operationalization of the HIMEK initiative, promotion during international events, and funding opportunities.

Engineer Tan Seng Chuan, Chairman of International Outreach Committee (IES-IOC), visited RRC.AP on 1st February 2019. IES-IOC discussed with RRC.AP's Director Naoya Tsukamoto on possibilities of future collaboration. It also introduced a separate possibility for collaboration engaging TEMBUSU Asia Consulting, which provides Engineering solutions integrated with sustainability and environmental management principles. AIT established a Memorandum of Understanding with IES in 2017, which led to ongoing efforts with RRC.AP to identify and develop capacity building initiatives.

RRC.AP participated in selected sessions as an observer organization in the GCF Regional Training event for NDAs on 29-31 January in Bangkok, Thailand. A bilateral meeting was held between GCF Secretariat and AIT RRC. AP on 31 January on the sidelines of the training. Naoya Tsukamoto, Director, and Qing Xia, Senior Climate Finance Programme Specialist from AIT RRC.AP participated in the discussions on potential cooperation avenues with GCF Secretariat on capacity building, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. The training was attended by 21 participants from National Designated Authorities (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund in the Asia and Pacific, with discussions focused on strategic roles NDAs serve for developing countries in gaining access to GCF.

Lyan Villacorta of RRC.AP served as a training facilitator in a workshop on capacity building for preparation of bankable concept notes for green climate fund held from 28-30 January 2019 in Male, Maldives. The workshop brought together 20 participants representing National Designated Authorities, Direct Access Entities, and government agencies from six Small Island Developing States (SIDS) including the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Maldives, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands as well as the Philippines.

RRC.AP Director Naoya Tsukamoto presented on the experience of RRC.AP's in building capacity for bankable project proposals in Climate Change Adaptation during the Fourth International Forum on Sustainable Future in Asia, held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 23-24 January 2019. AIT- RRC.AP was a co-organiser to the forum, along with the National Institute for Environmental Studies of Japan (NIES), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Studies Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (UR3S), and Vietnam Japan University (VJU). Also, RRC.AP's Thida Tieng was among the 6 presenters that won the best poster presentation. The two-day event gathered approximately 150 participants and featured 55 posters and 34 presentations. The first forum was held in January 2016 in the premises of the Asian Institute of Technology.

The "Summary Report of the ASEAN Member States Meeting on Soot-Free Transport" sponsored by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Heavy-Duty Vehicles Initiative (HDVI) was developed by the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Institute of Technology and was published at the CCAC website in April 2019, . This work is the outcome of a meeting that was organized with senior level officials of transportation and environment departments from the relevant ministries of ASEAN member countries alongside the CCAC Working Group meeting in October 2018.
The report itself contains a project roadmap for clean fuels and vehicles in ASEAN, which hope can inform the future focus of the initiative in the region.