Category: Highlight

EANET Adopts New Five-Year Plan at the Twenty-seventh Intergovernmental Meeting in Bangkok

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

17 December 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Twenty-seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG27) on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27 to 28 November 2025, in the margins of the 2025 Clean Air Week. Representatives from the 13 Participating Countries of the EANET joined the hybrid Intergovernmental Meeting, in person and online. About 70 participants from the EANET countries, Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, UNEP, and observers, engaged in key discussions focusing mainly on the future activities of the Network, including on the adoption of the new Medium-Term Plan for the EANET (2026-2030).

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Strengthened Regional Cooperation to Address Air Pollution

Hosted and chaired by the Kingdom of Thailand, the IG27 started with Welcome Remarks by Mr. Chirapong Kuhakanchana, Deputy Director General, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand. In his remarks, Mr. Chirapong underscored Thailand’s recent air quality improvements and strong national actions and reaffirmed the country’s full support for strengthened regional collaboration through the EANET.

Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office Asia Pacific (ROAP), delivered the Opening Remarks. In her remarks, she emphasized the region’s persistent air pollution challenges and recognized EANET’s progress over 25 years. Dr. Tsering underscored the urgency of stronger regional cooperation and upcoming transitions, including EANET’s new Medium-Term Plan and broader UN reforms.

Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), delivered the Introductory Remarks, and highlighted East Asia’s air pollution challenges. He emphasized EANET’s crucial role and emerging priorities and underscored the importance of the IG27 in adopting the Medium-Term Plan (2026-2030) and the 2026 Work Programme and Budget.

Left to right, Dr. Dechen Tsering, Mr. Chirapong Kuhakanchana, Dr. Toshimasa Ohara

The session elected Thailand as the Chairperson, Lao PDR and Viet Nam as Vice-Chairpersons, and Japan as the Rapporteur. The Bureau of the IG27 will remain in office until the next Intergovernmental Meeting, to be held in Niigata, Japan, in November 2026.

From right to left – Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Dr. Le Ngoc Cau, Ms. Siwaporn Rungsiyanon, Ms. Yujeong Kim

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EANET’s Future Direction and Strategy

In addition to adopting several important documents, such as the 2024 Progress and Financial Reports, and Work Program and Budget in 2026, the IG27 also endorsed the 2024 Data Report and the Report on the Inter-laboratory Comparison Projects, the Guidelines for Establishing Hybrid Air Quality Monitoring Network, and the Technical Manual for Hybrid Air Quality Monitoring with Low-Cost Sensors, which had been approved by the Twenty-fifth Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC25) on the EANET held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, from 20 to 22 October 2025.

Furthermore, in a key decision, the IG27 approved the EANET’s new Medium-Term Plan (MTP) (2026–2030), which concluded discussions from a series of consultations and meetings in 2024 and 2025.

The MTP (2026-2030) aims to define the strategic outcomes and priority actions for EANET’s work programme for the next five years in line with the EANET Instrument and its Annex. The fifth MTP (2026-2030) is the first MTP that substantially addresses EANET’s expanded scope with wider atmospheric environment pollutants which was adopted in 2021 at IG23.

Participants at the IG27 meeting
Additional US$380,000 Allocated for Air Quality Projects in 2026

In addition to the Core Budget of the EANET for its ongoing activities focused mainly on monitoring, and supporting its meetings and awareness activities, the IG27 approved eleven EANET Projects under the EANET Project Fund.

The proposed projects cover a comprehensive set of technical and capacity-building priorities, including the collection of long-term atmospheric nitrogen data, advanced PM2.5 source identification, and broader integrated monitoring efforts that also strengthen understanding and capacities of ozone and VOC pollution across the region. They further support improved use of satellite observations, and stronger national skills in emissions monitoring, financing strategies, and project planning. In parallel, the portfolio promotes regional leadership through fellowships, international trainings for government officials, and targeted workshops on sustainable agricultural practices and air quality legislation—providing EANET countries with practical tools to better manage air pollution in East and Southeast Asia.

A total of over US$387,000 was pledged through the EANET Project Fund, including financial and in-kind support from China (Fudan University), Japan (MOEJ), Thailand (Pollution Control Department, and the Thailand Environment Institute), the Republic of Korea (NIER), and UNEP.

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Read the MTP (2026-2030) and the Report of IG27.

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View the IG27 photos.

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Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Twenty-sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

11 December 2024 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Twenty-sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG26) on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 27 to 28 November 2024. All the 13 Participating Countries of the EANET were represented in-person in the Intergovernmental Meeting. Overall, there were about 80 participants from the EANET, engaged in key discussions related to the network’s 2025 activities and to air quality and acid deposition challenges in Northeast and Southeast Asia.

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Regional Cooperation Addressing Acid Deposition and Air Pollution

Hosted and chaired by the government of Malaysia, the IG26 started with Welcome Remarks delivered by Datuk Nor Yahati binti Awang, Deputy Secretary General of Malaysia’s Environmental Sustainability at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES). Opening Remarks followed by Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), and Mr. Bert Fabian, Coordinator of the Secretariat for the EANET.

Datuk Nor Yahati highlighted Malaysia’s commitment to tackling air pollution through initiatives such as the National Clean Air Action Plan (2025–2040). Dr. Ohara emphasized the expanded scope of EANET activities, and Mr. Fabian underscored the importance of the science-policy interface in EANET’s mission. The session elected Malaysia as Chairperson, Thailand and Mongolia as Vice-Chairpersons, and Japan as Rapporteur.

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Over US$300,000 Allocated for Air Quality Projects in 2025

In addition to the Core Budget of the EANET for its ongoing activities focused mainly on monitoring, and supporting its meetings, the IG26 approved twelve EANET Projects under the EANET Project Fund.

The Projects focus on capacity building, public awareness, monitoring and research activities, applied to various issues such as Nitrogen management, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), innovative monitoring technologies including low-cost sensors and satellite monitoring, and understanding the effects of acid deposition on ecosystems, among others. A total of US$300,000 mainly coming from Japan (MOEJ), and with co-financing from the Republic of Korea (NIER), the Philippines (EMB), and China (Fudan University), was allocated for these initiatives.

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Future Directions and Key Approvals

In addition to these key decisions, the IG25 approved several important documents, such as the Work Program and Budget of the EANET in 2025, including the organization of key meetings in 2025 such as the Working Group Meeting in 2025 (WG2025), the 24th Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC25) and the 27th Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET (IG27). The IG26 also approved the process of development of the EANET’s next Medium-Term Plan (2026–2030) which will include several consultations and meetings among Participating Countries in 2025, emphasizing expanded collaboration and innovative approaches to air quality monitoring and policy support.

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Read the Report of IG26

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Twenty-fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

30 November 2023 – Hanoi, Viet Nam

The Twenty-fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) (IG25) took place from 29 to 30 November 2023, in Hanoi, Viet Nam and online. Over 70 representatives from the EANET Participating Countries, UNEP and ACAP, the Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, participated in the discussions related to the network’s 2024 activities and to address air quality issues in the region.

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Regional Cooperation Fighting Acid Deposition and Air Pollution

Hosted and chaired by Viet Nam, the IG25 started with the Welcome Remarks by His Excellency Mr. Le Cong Thanh, Vice Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), followed by opening Remarks by Ms. Marlene Nielsson, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP, and by Dr. Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP).

His Excellency Mr. Le Cong Thanh delivering the Opening Remarks.

His Excellency Mr. Le Cong Thanh emphasized the significant challenges of air pollution and acid deposition in Viet Nam and globally. He highlighted the efforts of MONRE in developing legal frameworks and a nationwide monitoring network and expressed appreciation for the EANET’s contributions over the past twenty years. Ms. Nilsson underscored the significance of multilateralism in tackling environmental challenges, particularly acid deposition and air pollution, highlighting EANET’s expanded role in policy actions and capacity building for improved air quality. Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama highlighted the successful outcomes of the expansion of scope and the Project Fund adopted two years ago, specifically citing the Hybrid Air Quality Monitoring Network (HAQMN) project’s positive results with Low-Cost Sensors (LCS).

The IG25 Session was chaired by Viet Nam, vice-chaired by Lao PDR and Cambodia, and Thailand was elected Rapporteur.

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Over US$600,000 allocated to Building Government Capacity and Addressing Air Quality Management Issues in the Region

In addition to the Core Budget of the EANET to support its activities focused on monitoring, and supporting its meetings, the IG25 approved eleven EANET Projects in 2024 primarily focusing on capacity building for government officials but also concerning key air quality management-related issues such as on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), low-cost sensors (LCS), emissions inventories, and source apportionment projects in the region.

The EANET Projects for 2024 received funding through the EANET Project Fund, EANET’s financial mechanism allowing collaboration with implementation partners and co-financing from outside the EANET Network.

The total funding for Project Activities in 2024 is $605,000, including funding from the EANET Secretariat and NC funds, additional financial support from Japan (MOEJ), and from the Republic of Korea (NIER).

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Ways forward

In addition to these key decisions, the IG25 also approved several important documents, such as the Work Program and Budget of the EANET in 2024, including the organization of key meetings in 2024 such as the Working Group Meeting in 2024 (WG2024), the 24th Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC24) and the 26th Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET (IG26), and the process to finalize the revision of the EANET’s Administrative and Financial Guidelines and of the EANET Project Fund and Project Guideline.

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Read the Report of IG25 and discover the meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Twenty-fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

28 November 2022 – Manila, Philippines

The Twenty-fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (IG24) took place from 24 to 25 November 2022, in a hybrid mode, in Manila, Philippines. It gathered over 70 representatives from the EANET Participating Countries, the Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, and observers from the academia and INGO, to make important decisions on the implementation of the EANET’s expansion of scope and new Project Fund, among other topics.

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The Twenty-fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET

Hosted and Chaired by the Philippines, the IG24 started with the Welcome Remarks by the Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, Mr. Juan Miguel Cuna, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP, and by Dr. Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP). Remarks focused on the longtime active collaboration of the Philippines as an EANET Participating Country, on the importance of the expansion of the scope of the EANET, and the establishment of the EANET Project Fund, with the ambition for the Network to contribute the collective efforts to lead both science and policy actions to improve air quality in the region. The IG24 Session Bureau was Vice-Chaired by Japan and by the Republic of Korea, and Cambodia as Rapporteur. UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines and award-winning actress, singer, host, and environmental advocate Antoinette Taus also joined the dinner hosted by the Government of the Philippines.

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Extended Cooperation to Fight Acid Deposition and Air Pollution

Among the first agenda items, an update was provided on the approval status of the Supplementary Document (Annex) to the Instrument for Strengthening the EANET among the Participating Countries, with most of the countries having already completed this process. The Philippines reported this completion during the IG24 meeting itself, while Thailand completed it on 22 November as reported by the Prime Minister’s office in the Thai national daily newspaper Matichon. Through this Annex, Participating Countries agreed to work on an expanded list of air pollutants beyond acid deposition, including among others, Particulate matter and Volatile Organic Compounds.

From left to right: Participants during the hybrid IG24 meeting in Manila, Philippines, and Mr. Bert Fabian, Coordinator, Secretariat for the EANET, showing the Annex to the Instrument signed by the Philippines at the meeting.

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Nearly US$500,000 allocated to Projects supported by the EANET Project Fund
List of Projects Plans approved by the IG24 for 2023

Alongside other important topics, the Session discussed and approved the first batch of “EANET Project Plans” funded through the EANET Project Fund, a new financial mechanism allowing collaboration with implementation partners and co-financing from outside the EANET Network.

The Estimated Income for Project Activities in 2023 is US$489,700, including funding from EANET, additional financial support from Japan (MOEJ) from the Republic of Korea (NIER), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and in-kind support from Japan (JARI, NIES), Mongolia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam (IMHEN, MONRE) which will allow the implementation of 8 projects. Focusing mainly on research studies and capacity building, these projects include work related to the effects of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), Low-Cost Sensors (LCS), Particulate Matter source apportionment in major cities, training on monitoring, emission inventory and research fellowship program.

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The call for EANET Projects’ proposals for 2024 is open, find out more on the Call for Proposals page.

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Ways forward

In addition to these key decisions, the IG24 also approved several important documents, including the Work Program and Budget of the EANET in 2023, and the organization of key meetings in 2023 such as the Working Group Meeting in 2023 (WG2023), the 23rd Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC23) and the 25th Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET (IG25).

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Read the Report of IG24, and discover the hybrid meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.