Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Next Step in Climate Change Curriculum Development Focuses on Social Soundness and Carbon Measurement
University professors, trainers and USAID’s Lowering Emissions in Asian Forests partners met in Bangkok from May 26 to May 30 to further advance the project’s Regional Climate Change Curriculum Development program.This next step in the program allowed refinement and training for two of the program’s four modules – Social and Environmental Soundness and Carbon Measurement…
Grassroots Equity Tops Agenda at ASEAN Conference on Social Forestry
The USAID-funded Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program supported 14 forestry officials and civil society representatives from the Lower Mekong countries to join over 200 participants from governments, civil society organizations and other stakeholders at the ASEAN Social Forestry Network annual conference in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from May 24 to 26.Conference participants…
Lao Cai Readies Climate Resilience Action Plan for Provincial People’s Committee
City stakeholders and government officials in Lao Cai, Vietnam, held their final workshop and Shared Learning Dialogue under support from the USAID-supported Mekong-Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities project to discuss and finalize the city’s Climate Resilience Action Plan for submission to the Provincial People’s Committee.Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice-Chair of the Provincial People's Committee chaired…
USAID Partner Targets Wildlife Trafficking at Major Port in Southeast Asia
On 20 May 2014, Wildlife Alliance, a partner of the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program, conducted a wildlife trafficking seminar at Cambodia’s Port of Sihanoukville.Thirty-three participants attended the event including customs officials, immigration police, port authority staff, and private sector shipping companies. The objectives of this training were to raise awareness…
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…
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…
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…
Fin Free Campaign Joins Thai Dive Expo to Promote Shark Conservation
From May 15-18, 2014, Fin Free Thailand joined the Thai Travel and Dive Expo to promote the campaign and broader shark conservation awareness. Dive tourism is a large industry in Thailand and with more than 100 million sharks a year being slaughtered for their fins worldwide; the global dive tourism industry stands to lose millions…
Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program Surveys Document Decline in Wildlife Crime in Vietnam
Over the last few months, USAID partner Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) has mounted a campaign of surveys in four districts of Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi to document the illegal use and sale of endangered and protected species. The project team inspected 2,326 restaurants, hotels, bars, traditional medicine shops, pet stores and markets…
Launch of Innovative Regional Learning Group on Equity in Forest Governance
From April 28 to May 2, USAID’s Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong Program launched its Regional Learning Group on Equity in Forest Governance and organized its first learning event in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.Twenty-two sub-national government officials from Lower Mekong countries, including Cambodia, Laos PDR, Thailand and Vietnam, participated and will continue…
USAID and U.S. Forest Service Build Foundation for Carbon Mitigation through Better Management of Mangrove Ecosystems
From April 21 to May 3, experts from the USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program and U.S. Forest Service trained 38 Cambodian participants from eight government agencies and three universities on how to measure the amount of carbon stored in mangroves and other forested wetlands.The 11-day, intensive field training in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia, is…
Thai-U.S. Partnership Fosters Regional Climate Change Adaptation Capacity
The USAID Adapt Asia-Pacific project facilitated a visit of a high-level delegation of Thai officials to the United States at the invitation of the U.S. Forest Service from April 19 to May 1. The five-member Thai delegation, including the Secretary General of the National Research Council of Thailand and the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the…
