News and updates from the Asia Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) Partnership, a regional platform of the LEDS Global Partnership that promotes low-emission, climate-resilient growth across Asia.

ASIA LEDS PARTNERSHIP

E-Newsletter
ISSUE 6 - August 2014
 

Message from the Co-Chairs

 
Ensuring that Asia LEDS Partnership activities meet the needs of our members is our top priority. Last month we collaborated with our partner the Malaysia Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to organize a regional workshop on Quantifying the Environmental, Social, and Economic Benefits from Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. This was a direct response to requests from members for increased capacity in the region for developing and improving sustainable transportation systems.

Similarly, our efforts to plan the Asia LEDS Forum 2014 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in November are focusing on the development impacts of low emission development, again reflecting the priorities of Asia LEDS Partnership members. We hope the event will help participants better understand and more effectively make the case to stakeholders that LEDS enable and support sustainable, climate-resilient economic development.

We are also pleased that approximately 25 representatives from more than a dozen Asian and Pacific countries will join the LEDS Global Partnership annual meeting August 27-29 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme "Advancing Leadership and Collaboration to Catalyze Action". We look forward to representatives from Asia sharing lessons and learning from experiences of other regions on the four key workshop topics of LEDS leadership, impact, implementation, and strengthening communities of practice.

Doddy Sukadri, Co-Chair
Orestes Anastasia, Co-Chair
 
 

Quantifying Benefits of Bus Rapid Transit Systems in Asia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 24-25

 
More than 65 representatives from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam attended the Asia LEDS Partnership regional workshop focused on quantifying the environmental, social, and economic benefits from BRT systems. Organized with Asia LEDS Partnership member the Malaysia Land Public Transport Commission, the workshop offered training on frameworks and tools to inform decision making on BRT systems in the region.
 

Asia LEDS Forum 2014 Update
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov 11-13

 
Development through LEDS and Green Growth is the theme of this year’s forum, given the importance for many Asian countries of broader development goals such as economic growth and job creation. Sessions over the three days will enable participants to better understand and identify linkages between LEDS and development, with a focus on the benefits of LEDS and green growth. Session content will include, for example, case presentations and analysis on effective LEDS practices, and focused deep dive and hands-on training in high-interest areas. More information - including the provisional agenda - is available on the forum website.
 

Steering Committee Elections

 
The Asia LEDS Partnership follows a distributed leadership structure, allocating responsibility for tasks to organizations willing and with available resources to help identify, design, and deliver activities for members. Under this approach, the Steering Committee plays a key role in determining activities and direction. Elections are held every two years to re-elect members that wish to continue on, and to allow new organizations the opportunity to join the voluntary committee. The Partnership will be seeking nominations this October for organizations interested in serving on the committee. 
 

AFOLU Working Group Update
Jakarta, Indonesia, May 7

 
The Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) Working Group of the LEDS Global Partnership organized a meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia with the participation of 45 representatives from government agencies, donor organizations, academia, the private sector, and global research organizations. This second meeting of the AFOLU Working Group – following its launch last October at the Asia LEDS Forum 2013 in the Philippines – focused on reviewing and discussing the Working Group’s purpose, strategy, and activity plan; and sharing knowledge on forest monitoring, low-emission land use planning, and capacity building for climate smart agroforestry.
The AFLOU Working Group is also helping to organize the regional Workshop on Integrating Forestry, Wetlands and other Land Use/Land Cover Data for GHG Reporting during August 20-22, 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia. See more details below in the Upcoming Events section.
 
 

Asia LEDS Partnership Member News

Chaiwat Muncharoen Appointed Director of the Asian Greenhouse Gas Management Center

 
Dr. Chaiwat Dr. Chaiwat Muncharoen has been appointed as Director of the Asian Greenhouse Gas Management Center (AGMC), a new regional training hub focused on building capacity among Asian policymakers and practitioners on disciplines supporting the development and implementation of low emission development strategies.

Draft Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emission Inventories (GPC)
The draft GPC has been revised and is now available for public comment until August 18th. The authors particularly welcome review by city officials, practitioners, and technical experts in the fields of energy, transportation, waste management, agriculture and forestry. To comment on the new GPC draft 2.0, please use the feedback template provided on the GHG Protocol website and/or provide track-changes in the posted Word file and submit by email to gpc@wri.org by August 18th.
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Upcoming Events

 
AFOLU Working Group Technical Workshop on Integrating Forestry, Wetlands and other Land Use/Land Cover Data for Greenhouse Gas Reporting
August 20-22, 2014, Jakarta, Indonesia
This regional workshop will focus on data requirements and options for integrating forestry and wetlands data in national GHG inventories, while harmonizing these themes within a national framework for land use and land cover (LULC) datasets. It is organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and USAID, in partnership with the Government of Indonesia, the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and other regional partners. LEDS Global Partnership Annual Workshop
August 27-29, 2014, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
Under the theme of "Advancing Leadership & Collaboration to Catalyze Action" this event will gather leading officials and practitioners from countries and international institutions to share lessons and strengthen cooperation on climate-resilient, low-emission development around the world. The workshop will focus on four key areas: LEDS leadership, impact, implementation, and strengthening communities of practice. ADB Transport Forum
September 15-19, 2014, Manila, Philippines
The ADB Transport Forum 2014 aims to discuss and share project updates, policies and issues, best practices and new innovations in the area of sustainable transport. ADB’s recent emphasis on innovation, integration, and inclusiveness will continue to figure prominently during the Forum along with a focus on the future of sustainable mobility in the region, providing participants an opportunity to engage directly with leading experts in the transport sector. Academy on the Green Economy
October 7-17, 2014, Turin, Italy
Organized in collaboration with the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) and hosted by the International Labor Organization's International Training Centre, this learning event is meant to build capacities on the green economy and to equip policy-makers, technical staff and practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed for the promotion of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economies. Asia LEDS Forum 2014
November 11-13, 2014, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
This year's forum focuses on "Development through LEDS and Green Growth" in response to members requests for a greater understanding and emphasis on the linkages between LEDS, green growth, and broader development priories such as economic growth and job creation.  Better Air Quality Conference 2014
November 19-21, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka
The BAQ conference is a flagship event of Clean Air Asia covering the key sectors of transport, energy, industry and climate change, with a particular emphasis on government policies and measures. The theme for this conference will be "Next Generation Solutions for Clean Air and Sustainable Transport − Towards a Livable Society in Asia". 
 

New Resources

 
Subnational Integration of the Viet Nam Green Growth Strategy
The LEDS Global Partnership Working Group on Sub-national Integration has published a case study on the subnational implementation of the Viet Nam Green Growth Strategy. The SNI case study presents a high level overview of the active process and presents demonstrative snapshots from three provinces: Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ninh.
UNDP Video Reviews Climate Finance and How to Use Funds More Efficiently
 
This short video created by UNDP’s Climate Finance team reviews climate finance and how a “Whole of Government” approach can be used to foster partnerships within government and communities, and increase the reach and impact of climate finance funds. Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQqlIPcOSOg  

 
 

Asia LEDS Partnership Steering Committee Members

 


GET INVOLVED!
The Asia LEDS Partnership is a voluntary regional network comprised of organizations and individuals from the public, private, and non-governmental sectors active in designing, promoting, and/or implementing LEDS in Asia. The ALP is one of three regional platforms of the LEDS Global Partnership. Membership is open to organizations and individuals working to advance LEDS within the sub-regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Pacific. Membership is voluntary, cost-free, and unlimited in duration. 
JOIN NOW >
 
 
 

A regional platform of the LEDS Global Partnership

Asia LEDS Partnership Secretariat
Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) Program
ICF International (USAID Contractor)
All Seasons Place, 87 Wireless Road, M Thai Tower, 9th Fl., Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Tel: +66 2-655-8311/2 | www.LowEmissionsAsia.org

 
 
This newsletter was prepared with support from the
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
 
Please send comments, questions, or suggestions for the next e-Newsletter to: Stanford.Smith@icfi.com