2 September 2025, Manila, Philippines

Senior technical officials from the EANET countries gathered for the Twenty-Sixth Senior Technical Managers’ Meeting (STM26) in Manila, Philippines, from the 2 to 3 September 2025, to review progress and plan national monitoring of Participating Countries, exchange scientific findings, and discuss the future direction of cooperative efforts under the upcoming Medium-Term Plan (2026–2030).

Hosted by the Government of the Philippines and organized by the EANET Network Center (Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, ACAP) with support from the Secretariat for the EANET, the meeting brought together over 50 experts from the 13 Participating Countries.

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Opening Session: Reaffirming Regional Commitment

In her welcome remarks, Engr. Maria Dorica Naz-Hipe, Assistant Director of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Philippines, emphasized the importance of STM meetings as platforms for technical exchange and cooperation. She highlighted EANET’s role in ensuring data transparency, harmonizing monitoring practices, and enabling evidence-based policymaking to address air pollution challenges across East Asia.

Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of ACAP, echoed the call for collaboration, noting that EANET’s monitoring activities serve as the foundation for regional science-based policy decisions. He outlined key objectives of STM26, including reviewing the Preliminary Data Report 2024, the Inter-laboratory Comparison (ILC) results, and National Monitoring Plans (NMPs), as well as shaping the forthcoming Medium-Term Plan (MTP 2026–2030).

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Reviewing Progress: Strengthening Core Activities

The Secretariat reported on achievements since the last 26th Intergovernmental Meeting (IG26), including successful convening of Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting (SAC24) and IG26 in 2024, capacity-building workshops, and enhanced knowledge-sharing through outreach activities and material. The Network Center presented the Preliminary Draft Data Report 2024, covering wet and dry deposition, soil and vegetation, inland aquatic environment, and catchment-scale monitoring.

The 2024 ILC projects confirmed the importance of robust QA/QC systems. There were discussions on analytical methods for ammonium (NH₄⁺), where discrepancies between spectrophotometry and ion chromatography in some laboratories highlighted the need for capacity building and standardization. Countries were reminded to submit outstanding ILC data to finalize the report ahead of SAC25.

Each Participating Country presented the National Monitoirng Plan 2025 and its national monitoring priorities, challenges, and innovations. These inputs will inform the revised Summary of National Monitoring Plans to be presented at SAC25 in October in Lao PDR.

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Towards the Next Medium-Term Plan (MTP) for 2026-2030

The meeting discussed monitoring activities including QA/QC and analysis of monitoring data relevant to the draft Medium Term Plan (2026–2030). Progress on EANET Project Fund activities was also reviewed including Guidelines on Hybrid Air Quality Monitoring Networks (HAQMN), Technical Guidance on VOC Monitoring and Catchment Monitoring/Analysis.

The meeting concluded with reflections on next steps, reaffirming the commitment of the Participating Countries to collaborative action on acid deposition and air pollution in East Asia.

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View the photos on Flickr.

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Photo credits: cover photo by Myk Miravalles, other photos, all rights reserved to EANET.