Mekong - U.S. Partnership
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…
USAID Partners with Microsoft to Help Thai Students Design Innovative Solutions to Asia’s Development Challenges
A team of four Thai students mentored by the USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program won first runner-up in the World Citizenship category of the Microsoft Imagine Cup Thailand competition on April 24, 2014, in Bangkok.The students, from Chalalongkorn University, Sripatum University, Chidlada School and Assumption University won a cash prize for their “Locaze” mobile…
Earth Week Outreach Raises Wildlife Trafficking Awareness Among Bangkok’s Youth
On April 25, hundreds of students at International School Bangkok celebrated Earth Week with a one-day outreach event on wildlife trafficking. Freeland, the implementing partner of the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program, sponsored the awareness-building event.Event activities highlighted the plight of endangered species trafficked in the region, the event activities emphasized…
Hue Presents Its Draft Climate Action Plan for Stakeholder Feedback
In an April 2 shared learning dialogue chaired by Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho, Vice-Chairman of the Thua Thian-Hue Provincial People’s Committee, participants presented a draft Climate Action Plan for Hue City for stakeholder feedback.The Climate Action Plan was produced under the USAID Mekong Building Climate Resilience in Asian Cities Program, which is implemented by the…
University Outreach Aims to Reduce Tiger Bone Consumption in Vietnam
From April 14-18, Vietnamese students participated in a series of university outreach events to stop consumption of endangered species and their products. The events focused on encouraging students to refrain from using ‘tiger bone glue’, a substance common in Vietnam promoted to treat a variety of ailments.The outreach event was part of a larger region-wide…
Enhancing Capacity to Conduct Rigorous Forest Carbon Stock Assessments in Southeast Asia
From March 24 to April 4, USAID’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests program organized a Technical Training on Forest Carbon Assessment and Logging Emission Factor Development in Malaysia, which included participants from Malaysia, Vietnam, and Laos, and training experts from Winrock International. The first week of training consisted of a Forest Carbon Assessment based at…
Experts Spark Regional Dialogue on Women’s Inclusion in Climate Change and Forestry Programs
From March 26 to 27, over 60 land-use, forest governance, gender, and climate change experts from public and private sectors gathered in Bangkok for an Asia-Pacific Workshop on women’s inclusion for sustainable forests and climate.The USAID Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests program organized the workshop through a joint initiative with the UN-REDD Programme and Women…
