19 June 2024, Bangkok, Thailand

The Informal Meeting on the Initial Preparation of the Draft Medium Term Plan (2026-2030) for the EANET was held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 29, 2024, as a side event to the EANET Regional Workshop in 2024. The session brought together around 30 representatives from the 13 Participating Countries, UNEP, the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), and observers, to discuss the future direction of EANET.

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Opening Remarks

Dr. Le Ngoc Cau, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (IMHEN), welcomed participants. He emphasized the importance of reflecting on the current Medium Term Plan (MTP) and gathering inputs for the upcoming 2026-2030 plan, the need for input on priorities such as resource mobilization and climate change impacts on air quality. Dr. Mushtaq Memon, Regional Coordinator for Chemicals and Pollution Action at the United Nations Environment Programme, Asia Pacific Regional Office highlighted the importance of regional cooperation on air pollution and stressed enhancing the science-policy interface and improving capacity building efforts. Prof. Meng Fan, Deputy Director General at the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, highlighted potential modifications in EANET’s MTP and objectives, potential future expansions including nitrogen management, climate change, VOC and ozone monitoring, and the importance of new technologies and aligning activities with policy objectives.

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Participants at the Informal Meeting on the Initial Preparation of the Draft Medium Term Plan (2026-2030) for the EANET 

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Participating Countries’ Interventions Highlights

Representatives from the EANET Participating Countries shared a wide range of suggestions and insights for the next Medium Term Plan.

Among these suggestions, participants emphasized the need to improve the evaluation of air quality data to better inform policy decisions. There was a call for strengthening the coordination between various stakeholders, including government agencies and research institutions. Improving the digital infrastructure to support more effective data collection and analysis was also suggested.

Many countries stressed the importance of ongoing capacity building initiatives to enhance the skills and knowledge of professionals involved in air quality monitoring and management, in particular targeting lower income countries. Suggestions included developing more training programs and workshops including at the national and local levels. Additionally, the need for upgrading to new and more effective technologies for monitoring and data analysis was emphasized.

Several representatives pointed out the possibility to integrate climate change considerations into EANET’s activities. This could include assessing the impact of climate change on air quality and acid deposition patterns, while ensuring such  activities align with the Instrument and Annex for the EANET.

Increasing public awareness and mobilizing more resources was seen as vital. This includes campaigns to encourage participation in air quality improvement efforts and enhancing communication within national governments and between countries to promote EANET’s initiatives, while also developing strategies to mobilize more resources to support EANET’s activities in the future, through its Project Fund, among others.

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Ways Forward

The meeting set the stage for the development of a robust MTP for 2026-2030, focusing on understanding the Participating Countries’ needs and priorities, and enhancing EANET’s capacity to address air pollution and its impacts in Asia. Discussions on the preparation of the MTP for the EANET for 2026-2030 will continue during the Working Group meeting in 2024 (WG2024) to be held on 20 and 21 August 2024, and in EANET meetings next year and submission for approval of Participating Countries in November 2025.

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Read the Report of the Meeting (available soon) and discover the meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

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Photo credits: featured photo by Markus Winkler via Unsplash (2022), other photos: all rights reserved to the EANET.