The Twenty-fifth Session of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the EANET
27 October 2025 – Vientiane, Lao PDR
The Twenty-fifth Session of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC25) on the EANET was held from 20 to 22 October 2025, in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and online. The Session gathered over 50 representatives from the EANET Participating Countries, along with the Secretariat and the Network Center for the EANET, and observers from institutions interested in partnering with the EANET. The SAC25 served as a milestone meeting to review progress, assess EANET’s monitoring and research activities, and propose scientific recommendations on the Draft Medium-Term Plan (2026-2030) to the upcoming Twenty-seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG27).
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Opening Session
The SAC25 opened with welcoming remarks from Mr. Khamsene Ounekham, Director General of the Biotechnology and Ecology Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, who highlighted the importance of the SAC’s role in advancing atmospheric monitoring and regional collaboration. Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), underscored the region’s persistent air pollution challenges and called for stronger science–policy links, innovative monitoring, and integration of climate and nitrogen management. Ms. Yujeong Kim, Ad Interim Coordinator for the Secretariat for the EANET, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), emphasized the region’s progress and continued urgency in tackling air pollution, reflecting on EANET’s 25 years of achievements and upcoming plans, including drafting the Fifth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia (PRSAD5), and the next Medium-Term Plan for 2026-2030 aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
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Progress of EANET in 2024–2025
EANET continued to strengthen its Core and Project Activities under the current Medium-Term Plan (MTP) 2021–2025, advancing both its scientific and collaborative agenda.
Key highlights in 2025 included the organization of National Awareness Workshops in Lao PDR, and Mongolia, conducted in partnership with ESCAP’s Clean Air for Sustainable ASEAN (CASA) Project and the Northeast Asia Clean Air Partnership (NEACAP), respectively. These workshops contributed to raising awareness and strengthening technical capacity for air pollution monitoring and management in the region.
Promotion of data sharing with regional and global partners was enhanced, including through engagement with ESCAP’s Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) data sharing platforms, and the World Health Organization (WHO)’s publication Air Quality, Energy and Health: Science and Policy Summaries. Significant progress was made on the drafting of the Fifth Medium-Term Plan (2026–2030), which will guide EANET’s next phase of strategic actions.
The Network Center presented updates on dry and wet deposition monitoring, catchment-scale ecosystem studies, and nitrogen management.
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Adoption of Key Scientific Reports
The SAC25 reviewed and adopted several key technical documents including:
- The EANET Data Report 2024, featuring updated monitoring results on wet and dry deposition, ozone, and ecosystem impacts across 13 EANET Participating Countries.
- The Report on the Inter-Laboratory Comparison (ILC) Projects 2024, confirming the analytical consistency and reliability of laboratory analyses across the network.
- The Updated National Monitoring Plans (NMPs), underscoring Participating Countries’ continued commitment to harmonized methodologies and improved data quality.
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Strengthening Scientific Collaboration and Innovation
The SAC25 highlighted the importance of maintaining strong quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) systems, expanding data access, and fostering regional collaboration. The Committee endorsed the Guidelines for Establishing Hybrid Air Quality Monitoring Networks (HAQMN) and the Technical Manual for Hybrid Monitoring with Low-Cost Sensors, incorporating updates based on feedback from SAC24. These resources, developed with reference to standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the European Commission (EC), will guide EANET countries in improving data reliability and calibration practices. EANET also continued projects on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) monitoring, PM₂.₅ source identification, and nitrogen management.
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Looking Ahead
Twelve Project Plans for 2026 were also reviewed, including initiatives on nitrogen deposition assessment, satellite-based air quality monitoring, sustainable agriculture for clean air, and leadership training in atmospheric environment management. Project leads interested in collaborating with the EANET through the EANET Project Fund presented their project plans during the meeting. The Project leads included the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Clean Air Asia, the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), the Thailand Hub of Talents, and UNEP.
The SAC25 reviewed the Draft Medium-Term Plan (MTP) (2026–2030), which will guide EANET’s work for the next five years and reaffirmed EANET’s key role as a regional scientific network supporting cooperation and data-driven policymaking to improve air quality across East Asia.
Recommendations and outcomes from SAC25 will be presented at the Twenty-seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG27), to be held on 27-28 November in Bangkok, Thailand, back-to-back with UNEP’s Clean Air Week.
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Read the SAC25 Report of the Session.
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Photo credits: all rights reserved to the Secretariat for the EANET.