Tag: Expansion of scope

The EANET Online Meeting on the Revision of Guidelines in 2023

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

EANET Online Meeting on the Revision of Guidelines in 2023 (OM2023)

17 May 2023 – Bangkok, Thailand

The EANET Online Meeting on the Revision of Guidelines in 2023 (OM2023) was held virtually on 10 May 2023. National Focal Points representing the EANET Participating Countries discussed revisions of important administrative documents to reflect the recent expansion of the scope of the EANET to wider air quality issues and the establishment of the EANET Project Fund mechanism.

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The EANET Online Meeting on the Revision of Guidelines in 2023

The Session was led by the same bureau of officers as for the Twenty-fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG24) on the EANET in 2022.

Co-chaired by the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, the session started with Introductory Remarks from Bert Fabian, Coordinator of the Secretariat for the EANET.

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Screenshot of some of the OM2023 participants

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Around 65 participants, members from the EANET Participating Countries, the Network Center and Secretariat for the EANET, joined the OM2023 meeting to agree on sections to be revised in the Guidelines on the Administrative and Financial Management for the Secretariat and the Network Center, and to the EANET Project Fund and Project Guideline.

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Strategizing the Implementation of New Air Quality Management Activities

In 2021, the Twenty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (IG23) decided to expand the EANET’s scope to cover wider air pollution issues with the adoption of the Annex to the EANET Instrument. At the same time, the EANET Project Fund was established to encourage collaboration outside of the EANET network and mobilize more resources.

With these changes, EANET is developing new activities in 2023 and 2024, in collaboration with partners in its region and beyond. In early 2023 for instance, the EANET launched its first Project Activity on technical assistance related to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) monitoring.

During the OM2023 meeting, the Participating Countries had the opportunity to share their views on how to best reflect the changes related to the expanded scope and the Project Fund mechanism in key administrative documents. Discussions will continue at the Working Group Meeting (WG2023) of EANET in 2023 which will be organized online from 22-23 August 2023.

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Read the Meeting report here.

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Photos credits: Trees by Alberto Restifo on Unsplash, 2015; all other pictures: 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.

The 20th Anniversary of the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

9 December 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The EANET 20th Anniversary celebration was organized online, alongside the Science & Policy Dialogue, on Friday 26th of November 2021, gathering over one hundred participants from 30 countries, to discuss better air quality for all.

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The EANET’s 20th Anniversary Opening Ceremony

Established in 2001 as an intergovernmental network to create a common understanding on the status of acid deposition in East Asia, the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) celebrated in 2021 its twenty years of successful inter-regional cooperation and activities.

The EANET’s 20th Anniversary celebration was hosted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and H.E. Mr. Yutaka Shoda, the Vice-Minister from the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, opened the celebrations by delivering the Opening Remarks.

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Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative, UN Environment Programme for Asia and the Pacific shared the event’s Welcome Remarks, followed by Congratulatory Remarks from the EANET National Focal Points from Malaysia, Thailand, and China. These were shared by Mr. Jamalulail bin Abu Bakar, Undersecretary, Environmental Management Division, Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia; Ms. Siwaporn Rungsiyanon, Director of the Transboundary Air Pollution Subdivision, Air Quality and Noise Management Division, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand and by Mr. Zhou Jun, Director, Division of Asian, African and Latin American Affairs, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China.

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The Launch of the Summary of the Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET

To close the celebrations, Mr. Mohan Kumar Sammathuria, Principal Assistant Director of the Atmospheric Sciences, and Cloud Seeding Division, Malaysian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia, and the Chairperson of the EANET Scientific Advisory Committee for 2021-2023, presented the newly launched publication “Summary of the Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET“.

The Summary of the Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET has been prepared based on the data accumulated in the past twenty years of activity of the EANET. It aims at providing a common understanding of the status of acid deposition in East Asia in an easily understandable manner. In addition, it may serve as a guidance document for policymakers, students, civil society, and various organizations that may become EANET partners soon.

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Useful Resources

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Photo credits: All rights reserved to EANET.

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

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

30 November 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Twenty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (IG23) took place from 24 to 25 November 2021, virtually, and gathered over 70 representatives of the EANET Participating Countries, Secretariat, and Network Center for the EANET, to make important decisions on the expansion of the scope of the EANET, among other topics.

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The IG23 Meeting

Chaired by Japan and co-chaired by Malaysia and Viet Nam, the IG23 started with the Opening Remarks from H.E. Mr. Yutaka Shoda, Vice-Minister, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

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Welcome and Opening Remarks delivered during the IG23 meeting.

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Historical Decisions on the Expansion of the Scope of the EANET

Following the decision of the Twenty-second  Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22), held in November 2020, the EANET Participating Countries’ representatives have been working relentlessly on the process to expand the scope of the EANET, from acid deposition to also include a wider scope of atmospheric environment-related substances.

This historical progress required the EANET to develop a text supplementary document to the EANET Instrument, to define the scope of expansion and the target substances to be included in the EANET activities. In a landmark decision, 20 years after the creation of the Network, the IG23 has adopted the text of the Supplementary Document (Annex) to the Instrument for Strengthening the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia.

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Discussions among participants during the virtual IG23 meeting.

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The EANET Project Fund and Project Guideline, a new financial mechanism allowing EANET to build co-financed projects with partners in the region and beyond, has also been approved by the IG23.

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Ways Forward

In addition to these major decisions, the IG23 has also approved several important documents, including the Work Program and Budget of the EANET in 2022, and the Summary of the Twentieth Anniversary of the EANET publication, a new outreach document detailing the EANET’s past achievements and future opportunities.

As an important way forward for 2022, the EANET Participating Countries and partner organizations will be invited to start preparing and submitting project proposals for the pilot implementation of new EANET projects, in line with the EANET Project Guideline.

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Read the IG23’s Report of the Session (including the Decisions of IG23 in Annex 2), and discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Working Group Meeting of EANET in 2022

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

29 August 2022 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting (WG2022) of EANET in 2022 was organized virtually from 24 to 25 August 2022. It was attended by over 70 National Focal Points and representatives from the 13 EANET Participating Countries, and from the Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, to discuss proposed projects submitted to the EANET Project Fund and other matters related to the expansion of the scope of the EANET.

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Opening Session

Chaired by Japan and co-chaired by Malaysia and Viet Nam, the WG2022 started with Opening Remarks from Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Welcome Remarks from Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

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From left to right Mr. Bert Fabian, Dr. Dechen Tsering, and Dr. Hiro Hatakeyama, during the Opening Session of the WG2022 meeting

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EANET Project Fund

In November 2021, the Twenty-third Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (IG23) approved a new financial mechanism, the EANET Project Fund. The Working Group meeting of the EANET was organized for the EANET National Focal Points and representatives from the 13 Participating Countries to discuss the EANET Project Plans, which are project proposals, to be submitted for funding from the EANET Project Fund.

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Discussions among participants during the WG2022 meeting

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During the WG2022, eight EANET Project Plans were presented and discussed by the Session. These project plans focus mainly on the effects of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems, capacity building (related to Volatile Organic Compounds – VOCs, monitoring activities, emission inventories, and PM2.5), and research fellowship programs.

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Ways Forward

After the WG2022, the EANET Project Plans will be reviewed and discussed in October 2022 by the EANET Twenty-second Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC22) meeting, and finally submitted for approval to the 24th Intergovernmental meeting of the EANET (IG24) in November 2022.

Other important topics in line with the expansion of the Scope of the EANET adopted by IG23, were also discussed during the WG2022 and will be considered further by the IG23 in November 2022.

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Read the Report of the WG2022 and discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

26 April 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1 for the EANET (WG2021-1) was held virtually from  20-22 April 2021. The meeting made good progress on several key results concerning the  EANET’s expansion of scope.

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The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1

Nearly 70 participants, including members from the EANET Participating Countries, joined the WG2021-1 meeting.

At the meeting, the Participating Countries showed their keen interest in exchanging and brainstorming on the possible ways to prepare necessary arrangements for the expansion of the scope of the EANET.

Co-chaired by Thailand and by the Philippines, the session started with Welcome Remarks from Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

 

From left to right, screenshots from Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP for Asia & the Pacific, Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, ACAP, and Mr. Tomi Haryadi, EANET Coordinator.
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Drafting the Expansion of Scope of EANET Instrument

The Working Group Meetings in 2021 Session 1 and 2 were established, following the decision of the IG22, in November 2020, to facilitate the  Participating Countries’ work on necessary arrangements for the expansion of the scope of the EANET Instrument.

Screenshots from discussions during the virtual Working Group meeting.

In the meeting, the Participating Countries had the opportunity to share their views on the initial draft text of the Supplementary Document to the EANET Instrument. On the second and third days, the Participating Countries reviewed other key documents, such as the proposed arrangements for the EANET project fund.

The discussions held at this meeting will continue during the WG2021-2 in August 2021 before submitting the final documents to the IG23 in November 2021.

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Discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

23 August 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2 (WG2021-2) took place from 18 to 20 August 2021, virtually, and gathered over 70 representatives of the EANET Participating Countries, Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, to discuss the process of expansion of the scope of the EANET, among other important topics.

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The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2

Following the decision of the 22nd Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22) held in November 2020, the WG2021-2 was organized in the continuity of the WG2021-1 that took place in April 2021.

Co-chaired by Thailand and by the Philippines, the session started with Welcome Remarks from Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

Figure 1: Welcome, Opening, and Closing Remarks delivered during the WG2021-2 meeting.

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Sharing views on the Draft Text to Supplement EANET’s Instrument

Participants discussed their views and ideas on the development of a Draft text of the Supplementary Document to EANET Instrument, in the form of an Annex. Several items of the draft text were discussed, allowing Participating Countries to share suggestions and comments on how to best reflect the Network’s intention regarding future activities in the Region.

Other important topics, such as the Project Fund Mechanism and the Work Programme and Budget for the EANET in 2022, among others, were also discussed.

Figure 2: Screenshots from discussions during the virtual Working Group meeting.

The meeting’s Closing remarks were provided by Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Dr. Erdenebat, ACAP’s Deputy Director-General. As Dr. Erdenebat’s role as Deputy Director-General is coming to an end, he thanked all Participating Countries and colleagues from the Secretariat and the NC for their constant support.

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Given the importance of the task assigned to them, Representatives from the EANET Participating Countries have agreed to meet again for a continued WG2021 Session 2 before IG23 in November 2021.

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Discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.