Thirty policy makers from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam will be in Bangkok for a workshop on “Economic Development, Poverty Reduction, Environment and Climate Change: Environmental Economics for Policy Makers“. The workshop is part of the Poverty and Environment Initiative and aims to integrate environment into development planning and thinking and familiarize policy makers with the broad linkages between environmental change, poverty, and economic development. It will address issues such as the impact of environmental regulations on economic development and growth, the contribution of environmental management to poverty reduction, climate change in Southeast Asian countries and introduce economic tools to reduce pollution.

The workshop is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Development Programme, the International Development Research Centre and the Asian Development Bank.

The Poverty Environment Initiative is a global initiative coordinated by the UN Poverty Environment Facility in Nairobi. It links with wider UN reform and donor harmonization through the multi-donor Poverty Environment Partnership. PEI Asia Pacific is currently being implemented in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. It supports governments to integrate pro-poor environmental policies and strategies as part of their planning and financing processes.

In Asia Pacific, the Initiative is jointly led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme

For further information, please contact:
Manesh Lacoul, +66 2 288 2807, lacoul@un.org, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Panida Charotok, +66 2 288 1461, panida.charotok@undp.org, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok