Bangkok, May 30, 2003 - Japanese think-tank the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies opened a new office in Bangkok today, co-located with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The two-person project team will be located within UNEP's Regional Resource Centre for Asia-Pacific on the Asian Institute of Technology campus at Rangsit.

Project officer Taeko Takahashi said the new office would strengthen the Institute's collaborative research with Bangkok-based international organizations and Thai universities and institutions.

Its focus will on identifying strategic policy options under the institute's Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategy Project, funded by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

The three-year research project is examining topics such as financing for renewable energy development, markets for recyclable materials, the environmental performance of small to medium sized enterprises, sustainable urban transport systems, biomass energy, community-based tourism in protected areas, environmental education by NGOs and indigenous knowledge-based sustainable resource management.

It will present initial findings to the 11th Eco Asia (Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific) meeting in Kanagawa, Japan being held on June 7.

UNEP Regional Director Surendra Shrestha said, "UNEP assessments show that overpopulation, poverty and lack of enforcement of policy measures are compounding environmental problems in many parts of Asia and the Pacific."

"This is the kind of practical research needed to help governments, businesses and civic groups transform the region's economies towards more sustainable, more environmentally-friendly ways of functioning."

To inaugurate the new office a Symposium on Environmental Challenges, Opportunities and Regional Cooperation in South East Asia will be held at AIT this afternoon.

Discussions will be chaired by Prof. Akio Morishima, Chair of the Board of Directors of IGES, and include Dr Tongroj Onchan, President, Mekong Environment and Resources Institute, Mr Plodprasop Suraswadi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Dr Chaiyod Bunyagidj, Vice President, Thailand Environment Institute, Dr Monthip Tabucanon, Director General, Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ravi Sawhney, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific, and Surendra Shrestha.

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Notes:

The symposium is being held from 1400 to 1730, Friday May 30, in the AIT Conference Centre Auditorium.

Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) is one of three projects of the Asia-Pacific Environment Innovation Strategy Project (APEIS) and was announced at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. More information at http://www.iges.or.jp/APEIS/RISPO/index.html

For more information contact:

Ms Taeko Takahashi, IGES Project Office in Bangkok, c/o UNEP RRCAP, Asian Institute of Technology, phone + 66 2 5246440, email t-takahashi@iges.or.jp;
or Tim Higham, UNEP Regional Information Officer, Bangkok, phone +66 2 2882127, mobile +66 9 1283803, email higham@un.org.

UNEP/ ROAP News Release 2003/05