Project Fund | EANET Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia

14 August 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2025 (WG2025) on the EANET brought together over 60 participants virtually, including representatives from the 13 Participating Countries, UNEP, ACAP, the Secretariat and the Network Center for the EANET, and participants from other organizations presenting proposals for cooperation with EANET in 2026. The meeting mainly focused on the future direction of the network including on the review of the Second Draft Medium-Term Plan (MTP) (2026–2030) and proposed Project Activities for 2026.

Opening Remarks

Dr. Mushtaq Memon, Regional Coordinator for Chemicals and Pollution Action, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, highlighted the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation on air pollution, noting its growing recognition at global forums. He stressed that the new MTP will guide EANET’s future work and strengthen its role in regional and international initiatives.

Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), pointed out East Asia’s serious challenges with pollutants such as ozone and PM2.5. He underlined EANET’s valuable two decades of monitoring and called for the new MTP to also address wider issues such as climate change and nitrogen management.

Shaping the Next Medium-Term Plan (2026-2030)

A central focus of the meeting was the consultation on the Second Draft Medium-Term Plan (2026–2030). Participating Countries welcomed the revisions made following the June 2025 Working Group Meeting on the First Draft of the MTP (2026-2030), noting significant improvements.

Countries highlighted the importance of leveraging new technologies while stressing the need for resource mobilization strategies to support the next MTP. The draft will undergo further written consultations until September, with the final version to be considered at the upcoming Intergovernmental Meeting (IG27) in November 2025.

Screenshot of some participants during the WG2025 virtual meeting

New Project Activities Proposed for 2026

The meeting also reviewed nine draft Project Plans and two Concept Notes for 2026. These proposals cover diverse themes, including:

Proposed Project Plans (EPPs)

EPP 2026-01: Accumulation of atmospheric nitrogen deposition data for sustainable nitrogen management in existing EANET monitoring sites
EPP 2026-02: Fellowship for building leadership in Atmospheric Environment and Air Quality Management in East Asia
EPP 2026-03: Collaboration of Technical and Training (TNT) and capacity building program for personnel of the Participating Countries on monitoring
EPP 2026-04: Webinar for understanding of influences by changing climate on air quality over East Asia
EPP 2026-05: Capacity building webinar workshop on application of satellite observation for atmospheric environmental management
EPP 2026-06: Methodological Study on PM2.5 Source Identification and Capacity Enhancement in EANET with Emphasis on Southeast Asia
EPP 2026-07: Strengthening EANET Capacity in Financing Strategies for Project Planning and Advanced Methods for Monitoring of Air Pollution and Emissions
EPP 2026-08: Driving Action through Data: Development of the EANET Data Dashboard
EPP 2026-09: Enhancing Regional Understanding of Black Carbon Pollution through Integrated Monitoring Across EANET Countries

Proposed Project Concept Notes (PCNs)

PCN 2026-01: Knowledge exchange and capacity strengthening on sustainable agricultural practices for clean air in Mekong region
PCN 2026-02: Strengthening capacity on air quality legislation: Capacity building workshop on Law and Air Quality for EANET

Countries emphasized the need to prioritize projects within the scope of the EANET (based on its Annex to EANET Instrument) and encouraged expanding capacity-building initiatives.

All Project Plans and Concept Notes, with modifications when relevant, will be further considered at the upcoming Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting (SAC25) on the EANET held on 20-22 October in Vientiane, Lao PDR, before being submitted for final consideration and approval at the Twenty-seventh Intergovernmental meeting on the EANET (IG27) in November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Next Steps

EANET representatives will meet again in September during the Twenty-sixth Senior Technical Manager’s Meeting (STM26) in Manila, Philippines, followed by the SAC25 and IG27. The IG27 will review the Final Draft of the Medium-Term Plan (2026–2030) supporting EANET’s strengthened role in tackling air pollution and advancing regional cooperation in East Asia.

Read the Meeting Report.

27 July 2022 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Network Center for the EANET organized the Workshop on National Air Quality Monitoring Systems and Methodologies with Related Partners online on 6 July 2022. It gathered scientists and researchers, government officers, technicians including Quality Assurance/Quality Control managers, and representatives of international organizations who discussed how to improve the EANET monitoring system. 180 participants from 17 different countries and regions joined the Workshop.

Opening Session

Moderated by Ms. Yao Dong, Assistant Deputy Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP) in charge of the Network Center (NC) for the EANET, the Workshop started with Opening and Welcome Remarks by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General of ACAP in charge of the NC for the EANET and followed by Mr. Toshiyuki Yamasaki, Director of the International Cooperation Office, Environmental Management Bureau, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.

*Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama and Mr. Toshiyuki Yamasaki delivered the opening remarks.*

Remarks emphasized the introduction of new monitoring substances such as (but not only) ammonia, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds, following the expansion of the scope of the EANET as decided by the IG23, and the need to adapt EANET’s monitoring system accordingly. The new EANET Project Fund mechanism, allowing the EANET and other organizations to collaborate on acid deposition and air-quality related projects, was also introduced.

Lectures and panel discussion

Among its key activities, the EANET is currently monitoring atmospheric substances at 64 monitoring sites in the EANET Participating Countries. The monitoring focuses on five items – wet deposition, dry deposition (air concentration), soil and vegetation, inland aquatic environment, and catchment-scale monitoring.

The Workshop on National Air Quality Monitoring Systems and Methodologies with Related Partners was funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and implemented by the Network Center for the EANET. Its goal was to share a wide range of national and international experiences in the field of atmospheric monitoring while discussing the current development and future challenge of monitoring systems and related methodologies in the EANET region.

*Panelists during the discussion sessions.*

The first session introduced the EANET monitoring activities and was followed by case studies from Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China. In addition, specific monitoring methodologies including QA/QC activities were also introduced.

*Dr. Meng Fan delivered the closing remarks.*

In the second session, a panel discussion, followed by an open discussion, took place to exchange ideas on specific country challenges and discuss how to link EANET’s work with urban monitoring. Members of the EANET Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and from other organizations, such as Clean Air Asia, joined the discussion.

Closing remarks were provided by Dr. Fan Meng, Deputy Director General of ACAP in charge of the NC for the EANET, who summarized the highlights of the Workshop and thanked all speakers and participants for their active contribution. Among the key outcomes of the Workshop, Dr. Meng emphasized the question of linking EANET’s work with city-level monitoring and the challenge to measure volatile organic compounds and secondary pollutants.

Useful Resources

View the full recording of the Workshop on the EANET Secretariat’s Youtube channel
Download the Workshop’s Program
View the Workshop’s photos on Flickr
Download the Workshop’s presentations:

–Development and role of monitoring system in EANET and the case study of Japan

–Latest National and Local/City Monitoring System in the Republic of Korea

–Study on the Co-control of PM2.5 and Ozone Pollution in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Surrounding Region of China

–Monitoring methodologies and QA/QC activities in the EANET

-Introduction to EANET Project Fund and Project Activities 2022-2023

Find out more on the topic of the nitrogen cycle, touched upon during the panel discussion, by reading Prof. Akimoto’s et al. related research papers:

–Review of Comprehensive Measurements of Speciated NOy and its Chemistry: Need for Quantifying the Role of Heterogeneous Processes of HNO3 and HONO (2020)

–Rethinking of the adverse effects of NOx-control on the reduction of methane and tropospheric ozone – Challenges toward a denitrified society (2022)

Tag: Project Fund

EANET Working Group Advances Medium-Term Plan Development and Project Proposals for 2026