DENR, Asean to host int’l fora on green economy

MANILA, Oct 11 -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), will host two international events aimed to build the capacity of policy makers from the Asean member-states in designing and implementing policies to support sustainable consumption and production (SCP). The back-to-back fora will include the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Switch-Asia Training of Trainers on October 15 and 16 to be followed by the fifth Asean-Plus-Three Leadership Programme: Sustainable Production and Consumption on October 17 to 19 at the Richmonde Eastwood Hotel in Quezon City, Environmental Management Bureau Director Juan Miguel Cuna said. Expected to attend are policy makers from the 10 member-countries of the Asean and partner countries such as China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, a statement from the DENR said. Cuna said the leadership program is in support of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and the Asean Environmental Education Action Plan (Aeeap), which seeks to improve human well-being and social equity while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. “Engaging in such activities has allowed governments to better understand the SPC concept. By building on past experiences of Asean member-states, the country is expected to gain from the discussions during the leadership program as well as contribute in the debates on green economy,” Cuna said. Both the training and the leadership program will cover key issues on sustainable consumption and production, including presentations and discussions on the topics as they relate to green economy. The program is designed to be highly participative with organized discussions, focusing on regional case studies and best practices. It is also highly interactive so as to maximize the opportunity for learning and sharing of experiences. Participants will be asked to identify prospective initiatives on areas such as cleaner and safer production, sustainable lifestyles, sustainable cities and buildings, sustainable public procurement, sustainable tourism, ecological tax and budget reform, education and training, and energy efficiency, among others. Switch-Asia is a project funded by the European Union (EU) aimed at promoting SCP across Asia. UNEP is responsible for the Policy Support Component (PSC) of the program, working towards incorporation of SCP into national and regional policies. This training session is a key part of the Switch-Asia program of work. Since 2008, the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) and the Asean Secretariat have collaborated in the offering of the Asean -Plus-Three (Asean +3) Leadership Programmes on SPC under the framework of the Aeeap endorsed by the Governments of Asean member-states. The first and second Asean+3 Leadership Programmes on SPC were held in Cha-am, Petchaburi Province of Thailand in July 2008 and August 2009, respectively. The third Asean+3 Leadership Programme on SPC was held in Manila, Philippines in October 2010 which was co-organised with the DENR through the Environmental Management Bureau, and the Asean Centre for Biodiversity. Meanwhile the fourth Asean+3 Leadership Programme on SPC was held at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok in October 2011. (DENR/PIA PND) Sourced: pia