USAID Launches Initiative to Further Green Growth in Chiang Mai

The USAID Low Emissions Asian Development (USAID LEAD) program launched the Hotel Energy Efficiency Initiative in Chiang Mai, Thailand on March 13. A collaboration between USAID LEAD and the Chiang Mai Municipality, it improves energy efficiency in Thailand’s hospitality sector and helps develop and promote the deployment of greenhouse gas protocols and tools throughout the…

USAID LEAD and VFD Programs Conduct Training to Support Green Growth Planning in Thanh Hoa Vietnam

From March 18 to 19 in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, the USAID LEAD and USAID-funded Vietnam Forest and Deltas programs provided training for 15 representatives from provincial departments and academies on the “Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Analysis to Support Deriving Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets.” Attendees learned MACC concepts, approaches and analysis data needs.They also…

USAID and World Food Programme Cambodia Connect Climate Change Adaptation, Livelihoods and Food Security in Kampong Thom

USAID’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC), in partnership with World Food Programme (WFP), went to six villages in central Cambodia’s Chey commune in a participatory, science-based decision-making process to analyze climate impacts on traditional livelihoods.The process, implemented with support from communes, combined community perspective with climate science. Organizers used participatory…

USAID LEAF Releases Gender Analysis of Lam Dong Provincial REDD+ Action Plan

The U.S. Agency for International Development Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) program released the “Gender Analysis of Lam Dong’s Provincial REDD+ Action Plan” this week.Developed in collaboration with and the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD), the report provides analysis of Lam Dong’s Provincial REDD+ Action…

The U.S. and Vietnam Team Up to Protect Wildlife

On March 3, top officials from Vietnam, the United States and the international wildlife community joined forces to launch Operation Game Change (OGC) in Hanoi, coinciding with World Wildlife Day. OGC brings governments, non-governmental organizations, students and celebrities from Vietnam, the U.S. and South Africa together to stop the illegal trade of rhino horns and…

Lower Mekong Provincial Forestry Officials Dive into Social Equity Issues at Regional Learning Group Event

Last week in Siem Reap, Cambodia, 19 senior provincial forestry officials from the Lower Mekong region reunited for the Third Regional Learning Group on Equitable Forest Governance, a series of learning events organized by USAID’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong project.The officials further developed their ability to assess and promote grassroots equity…

Gender Champions Explain the Importance of Gender Integration in Climate Change Interventions

For International Women’s Day on March 8, the U.S. Agency for International Development Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) program released a short film on its Asia-Pacific Leadership Initiative on Gender and Climate Change.The initiative presents how men and women can make significant contributions to gender integration into climate change issues. Twenty-four gender champions…

USAID’s PFAN-Asia Delivers Interactive Workshop to Promote Energy Efficiency in Thailand

USAID’s Private Financing Advisory Network-Asia (USAID PFAN-Asia), in collaboration with the Thailand Energy Service Companies Association (Thai ESCO), Thailand’s Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency and the Institute of Industrial Energy of the Federation of Thai Industries, co-organized a workshop titled “ESCO Business Model-Experiences from USA, China and Indonesia,” which took place on March…

New iTHINK Global Online Wildlife Conservation Forum in Vietnam

On March 3, the iTHINK Global Online Wildlife Conservation Forum went live on www.ithink-now.org. The website is designed to provide the conservation community and the general public with tools to support biodiversity conservation.The forum is available in Vietnamese and English and allows users to engage in wildlife conservation issues, while also inspiring conservationists to showcase…

Improved Women’s Awareness of Climate Change Found in Thailand and Vietnam

The USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project surveyed climate change awareness among 290 women in rural communities in Thailand (Chiang Rai and Sakon Nakhon) and Vietnam (Kien Giang) before and after conducting climate change awareness raising activities.Among the results were that 85 percent of women in target communities were…

USAID Mekong ARCC to Improve Water Security and Management for Women of Khammouane Villages

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong ARCC) project is working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Lao PDR and local authorities to improve water storage and distribution for villages in Khammouane Province, Lao PDR.Water engineers in villages in Done Keo and other target villages…

USAID Launches Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge

On World Wildlife Day, USAID announced the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, a new initiative that encourages using modern tools to help stop wildlife trafficking.The challenge invites individuals and organizations from around the world to submit innovative science and technology solutions that can be applied to combat the illegal trafficking of marine and terrestrial wildlife, which…