Laos Farmers Return Home with Hands-on Field Experience in Forest Restoration
A three-day regional training on forest restoration, held July 8 – 10 by the USAID-funded Lowering Emission’s in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) Program in collaboration with the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU) at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, concluded with hands-on experience for 13 Laos farmers and forest officers from Houaphanh and Attapeu Provinces.The farmers and…
Google Joins Mekong Partnership for the Environment to Harness Big Data
If you Google “big data” you may soon find Mekong Partnership for the Environment among the search results. On June 19, 2014, the tech giant agreed to partner with the USAID-funded project to support the next Mekong ICT ‘Bootcamp’.The Bootcamp will bring together up to 80 tech and data experts, journalists and civil society organizations…
New Pilot Program Incorporates Science into Policy-Making in Southeast Asia
The ASEAN-U.S. Science and Technology Fellows Pilot Program, which is managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the United States Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), places scientists in ASEAN ministries and helps the region’s countries make greater use of science, technology and objective analysis to improve…
Vietnam Educators and Partners Engage on Climate Change Curriculum
The USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) program advanced development of its Climate Change Curriculum in Vietnam with open seminars at universities in Hanoi on June 19 and 20 and Da Lat on June 25 and 26.The seminars reached over 120 educators at Hanoi’s Vietnam Forestry University and Da Lat University with information…
Climate Resilience Action Plan for Hue City Approved
At a ceremony on June 27, 2014, the People’s Provincial Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province gave final approval for the Climate Resilience Action Plan for Hue City. The Action Plan was developed under USAID's Mekong – Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities (M-BRACE) program, which is implemented by the Institute for Social and Environmental…
NEWS: Results of the Lower Mekong Initiative and the Friends of Lower Mekong Senior Officials’ Meeting
As head of the Thai delegation, the Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, Mr. Arthayuth Srisamoot, has attended the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) and the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Senior Officials’ Meetings.These two events took place in Yangon, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, on 8 June 2014.Founded in 2009, the…
The LMI English Support Project Phase Two Symposium on English for Specific Purposes: Collaboration and Innovation
Over one hundred ministry of education officials, university English department heads, researchers, and lecturers from the five Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, participated in a two-day symposium, an activity under the Education Pillar in Bangkok, Thailand.The culminating event of the 2013-2014 LMI English Support…
REDD+ Financing and Action Plan Introduced to Senior ASEAN Officials
The USAID Lowering Emissions in Asian Forests Program has furthered its engagement with ASEAN on forestry and climate change by addressing the ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry’s 15th Seminar on Current International Issues affecting Forestry and Forest Products on May 11, 2014, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.At the seminar, USAID Lowering Emissions in Asian Forests was recognized for contributions to forestry…
NEWS: Cooperation in the Lower Mekong Stepped up
Senior officials of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam met with those from the United States to discuss sustainable economic growth in the Mekong sub-region in Yangon, Myanmar on June 8.The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) SOM meeting, which involved the five Mekong countries and the U.S., touched upon cooperation for the next five years and…
Lower Mekong Civil Society Organizations Gain Further Skills to Promote Grassroots Equity
On May 28 to 30, representatives of 20 civil society organizations from five Lower Mekong countries took part in the Second Civil Society Organizations Capacity Development Workshop funded by USAID’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program.The workshop is part of the continuous effort to support and strengthen capacities of the targeted civil society organizations to…
USAID Helps Asian Countries Improve Accuracy of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimates
The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program provided training for 55 professionals from seven Asian countries from June 2 to 4 in Manila, Philippines, on methods to more accurately estimate current and future greenhouse gas emissions from key sectors.The success of national and international efforts to address climate change depend on an accurate estimation of…
Fate of ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network Remains Undecided
On May 27, 2014, more than 100 representatives from government, non-governmental organizations, and international donor agencies from around the globe participated in the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network Partnership Workshop to discuss the future of the Network Discussions focused on opportunities to mainstream wildlife protection into existing ASEAN and non-governmental organization programs in the region.ASEAN government…