Tag: Intergovernmental Meeting

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.

Navigating Progress and Future Initiatives: Highlights from the EANET WG2023 Meeting

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

30 August 2023 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2023 (WG2023) on the EANET was held online on 22 and 23 August 2023. Over 50 representatives from the 13 EANET countries, the Secretariat and the Network Center for the EANET, participated in the meeting to discuss past activities, proposed projects for 2024, and important administrative matters.

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Activities in 2022 and 2023: Collaborative Efforts for Better Air Quality in East and Southeast Asia

The completion of EANET projects in 2022 and ongoing activities in 2023 were presented during the WG2023 meeting. The Secretariat underscored its commitment to Core Activities from 2022 to July 2023. These included organizing the EANET major annual meetings, leading partnership and communication activities, and awareness sessions, such as the EANET Regional Awareness Workshop in Bangkok and National Awareness Workshops in Lao PDR and in the Philippines.

The Network Center highlighted activities spanning 2022 and 2023, including continued acid deposition and air quality monitoring, QA-QC and capacity building activities, and also Individual Training, the Emission Inventory Webinar Workshop, and the MICS-Asia Workshop. Notably, 2022 Projects were successfully completed, and eight Project Activities were launched in 2023. Among the 2023 projects was the VOC Advisory Group Meeting in Manila, a component of the broader Feasibility for Promoting VOCs’ Related Capacity Building in the EANET project.

Screenshot of some of the WG2023 participants

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EANET Medium Term Plan Mid-Term Review’s Inception

The Mid-Term Review of the EANET Medium Term Plan (MTP) for 2021-2025 was introduced during the WG2023. The Secretariat and Evaluator leading the Review presented the Inception Report for the Mid-Term Review of the MTP. Participating Countries engaged in discussions, sharing their perspectives and suggestions on the Plan’s review.

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Draft EANET Project Plans for 2024

EANET’s Project Plans for 2024, submitted to the EANET Project Fund, came into focus during WG2023. The Network Center and Secretariat jointly introduced 12 EANET Project Plans for the upcoming year, ranging from continuing initiatives to new proposals. These projects included diverse subjects such as atmospheric deposition effects on ecosystems, VOC-related capacity building, air quality monitoring network development, and more. Participating Countries discussed potential overlaps, funding optimization, and suggestions to strengthen project proposals. Encouragement for external partnerships was highlighted.

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Modifications to EANET Project Fund and Project Guideline and Administrative and Financial Management Guideline

WG2023 included discussions on modifications to the EANET Project Fund and Project Guideline, and on revising the Guidelines on Administrative and Financial Management for the Secretariat and Network Center. The Secretariat presented the current Guidelines against proposed changes submitted by Participating Countries at the Online Meeting on the Revision of the Guidelines. Participating Countries engaged in extensive discussions to refine definitions and procedures.

After the WG2023, the Secretariat and Network Center will prepare a new draft of both Guidelines, integrating proposed changes from discussions, for further review by Participating Countries’ National Focal Points, and including review from UNEP and ACAP, hosts of the Secretariat and the Network Center for the EANET.

The revised Guidelines, along with the EANET Project Proposal, and the Mid-Term Review of the EANET MTP, will be further discussed at the Twenty-Third Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC23) online Meeting to be held in October 2023, and during the 25th Intergovernmental Meeting (IG25) on the EANET in November 2023, in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

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Find out more about EANET’s Project Fund and Project Activities.

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Photo credits: Photo of a Common Indian Crow in Krabi, Thailand (2020) by Erik Karits on Unsplash; all other photos, all rights reserved to EANET.

Intensive training for city government officials: EANET-Clean Air Asia Workshop on Emission Inventory Development for the Management of Emissions from the Transport Sector

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

24 November 2022 – Manila, Philippines

The Network Center for the EANET (NC) and Clean Air Asia organized the EANET-Clean Air Asia Workshop on Emission Inventory Development for the Management of Emissions from the Transport Sector, an intensive training for city government officials held on November 23, 2022, in Manila, Philippines, as a side-event to the 24th Intergovernmental Meeting (IG24) on the EANET. It was attended by more than 90 participants, in-person and online, representing 14 countries from the EANET Region and beyond, gathered to learn about the different tools to calculate emissions from the transport sector and discuss the importance of using data for policy.

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Developing an Emission Inventory

Developing an emission inventory is critically important for air pollution management purposes. The accurate estimation of emissions from various sources such as factories, power plants, cars, households, etc… allows the production of basic data, using scientific tools like environmental assessments, for policy-makers to prevent the adverse effects on human health and ecosystems of air pollution.

Presentations and panel discussion with Ms. Everlyn Tamayo, Dr. Didin Agustian Permadi, Dr. Shaojun Zhang, Ms. Kathleen Dematera-Contreras, Dr. Raymund Abad and Mr. Myron Alcanzare introduced the general principle of the emission inventory, outputs, and typical actions to be applied to policy development.

Participants also worked on an exercise on motor vehicle emissions by using a desktop program/application developed by Dr. Permadi with support from Clean Air Asia, allowing participants to apply the methodology to their respective countries/cities.

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Engaging Policymakers

Through the workshop, participants learned about the variety of methods and tools to calculate emissions from the transport sector, while noting that the final approach to be implemented would vary depending on the objectives and available resources of the personnel or city. Calculating emissions under different scenarios was recommended as it provides an overview of the impact of measures or policies. Finally, the importance of high-quality data was emphasized to build capacity and strengthen the engagement between policymakers and researchers performing the emissions inventory.

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Ways Forward

The development of an emission inventory is a powerful and essential tool for understanding the status of air pollutants emissions and considering the effectiveness of mitigation measures. EANET activities related to the development of emission inventories will continuously be conducted in the future. In 2023, EANET will organize a webinar workshop for capacity building on emission inventories related to combustion sources and explore all possibilities to strengthen cooperation with other organizations, including Clean Air Asia.

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This workshop was conducted as part of the EANET Project Activities in 2022. Find out more about the EANET Project Activities and how to participate in the EANET Project Fund.

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Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET and Clean Air Asia.

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 Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

27 November 2020 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22) on the EANET was held virtually from 25 to 26 November 2020. It was concluded by major decisions on the approval of the Medium Term Plan (MTP) (2021-2025) and Work Programme and Budget in 2021, as well as the decision to start expanding the scope of EANET’s Instrument.

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The Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting

Over 50 representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, and Viet Nam participated in the IG22,  to discuss in detail how they envision the future of their Network.

Chaired by Thailand, the IG22 Session started with Welcome Remarks from Mr. Thalearngsak Petchsuwan, Deputy-Director General, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

Screenshots from the Welcome and Opening Remarks delivered during the virtual IG22 meeting.
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Medium Term Plan for the EANET (2021-2025)

After almost two years of conducting several discussions among the Participating Countries, the IG22 approved the MTP for the EANET (2021-2025). In addition, the Session approved the Work Programme and Budget for EANET in 2021.

Detailing the actions that will take place during the next five years, the MTP for the EANET (2021-2025) regroups activities related to five key objectives: Objective 1: Monitoring of acid deposition including related chemical substances with quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), Objective 2: Promotion of data utilization and dissemination, Objective 3: Promotion of capacity building, Objective 4: Enhancement of outreach activities and Objective 5: Enhancement of cooperation and collaboration.

Screenshots from some participants discussing during the virtual IG22 meeting.

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Future Activities Beyond Acid Deposition

The IG22 recognized activities related to air pollution as of major interest to Participating Countries, although considered beyond the current scope of the EANET.

For 20 years, based on the Instrument for the Strengthening the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), the EANET has been working specifically on acid deposition monitoring.

Marking an important milestone for the Network, Participating Countries agreed to start the process of expanding the scope of the Instrument allowing the EANET to work on wider air quality and air pollution issues in the near future.

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Find out more about the IG22 by reading the Report of the Session and discover the pictures of the IG22 Meeting on Flickr.

Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET.