Strengthening National Forest Monitoring Systems Across Asia

From October 15-17, the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) program partnered with UN-REDD and SilvaCarbon to host the 4th UN-REDD Regional Lessons Learned Workshop on National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS) for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).  NFMS enable countries to collect information required to provide measurable, reportable and verifiable estimates…

Poachers Beware! Elite Wildlife Ranger Team Graduates

On October 16, Thailand’s new elite wildlife ranger team, the “King of Tigers,” graduated from the groundbreaking 8-week intensive tactical training course to combat crimes against nature.  The graduates are now tasked with enforcing Thailand’s laws pertaining to environmental crime including poaching, wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and illegal fishing.The King of Tigers is Thailand’s first…

CAP-Malaria Highlight from Myanmar

Children in Rakhine State, Myanmar absorb BCC educational materials as they learn proper net usage during a Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) Long Lasting Insecticidal Net (LLIN) distribution campaign.  Photo: CAP-MalariaRelated Website: Control and Prevention of Malaria (CAP-Malaria)Source: Health Matters Newsletter RDMA/Office of Public Health 

What Some Fish, Oil, and a Little Rice Can Do: Working with Pyi Gyi Khin

One of Control and Prevention of Tuberculosis (CAP-TB)’s most effective local implementing agencies, Pyi Gyi Khin (PGK), is a Burmese NGO that was founded by a mother and daughter team in 1997 with the goal to empower vulnerable women and children.  The organization advocates for marginalized populations, including children and orphans, female sex workers, people…

Promoting Quality of Medicines Program’s Technical Assistance Supports ASEAN Regional Harmonization Strategy

With the financial support from USAID/Philippines, USAID/Indonesia, and the Presidential Malaria Initiative through USAID/RDMA, the Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) program conducted two successful training workshops in conjunction with the ASEAN Pharmaceutical Product Working Group  for the medicines regulatory agencies of ASEAN member states.In September more than 35 inspectors from ASEAN member states—Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia,…

Lao PDR Launches the Electronic Official Gazette

On October 11, 2013, the Ministry of Justice launched the webpage representing the Lao PDR Electronic Official Gazette (laoofficialgazette.gov.la) at a high-level workshop in Vientiane, Laos.  The workshop was chaired by the Minister of Justice, with the Vice-Minister of Justice presenting the new procedures for operating the e-Gazette, and with around 50 participants including a…

Advancing Vietnam’s National REDD+ Fund and Accounting Framework

With support from the USAID-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) project, the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) organized a technical meeting to discuss the REDD+ Fund proposal and the development of a national REDD+ accounting framework for Vietnam.  Fifty participants representing government departments, international donors, and provinces that are implementing REDD+ gathered in Hanoi…

CAP-Malaria Cross Border Activity in Thailand

Cambodian migrant workers who cross the border to work in Thailand mostly live on farms, in close proximation with malaria vectors.   Malaria screening among migrant workers is an important activity for reducing the malaria parasite population.   The picture shows the activity of a border malaria post and malaria clinic, where staff perform the…

CAP-Malaria Meeting in Western Myanmar

In the Rakhine Region, Toungup (Taung Goke) Township, Moe Shwe Gone Village, the Control and Prevention of Malaria (CAP-Malaria) team organized a meeting to introduce CAP-Malaria project to the target population, by providing health education and demonstrating the right way to use long lasting insecticide treated bed nets.Related Website: Control and Prevention of Malaria (CAP-Malaria)Source: Health Matters Newsletter RDMA/Office…

Radio Show in Cambodia’s Malaria Zone

The Control and Prevention of Malaria Project collaborates with Media One, a local media organization, to implement a package of radio call-in show activities.  A Village Fairs activity is organized at public places in malaria endemic areas.  This interactive activity provides an entertaining and educational opportunity for participants to listen and then respond to the…

USAID Receives ‘Friend of Thailand’s Climate’ Award from the Royal Thai Government

At Thailand’s first Climate Change Adaptation Expo held in Bangkok, USAID’s Regional Environment Office (REO) received the “Friend of Thailand’s Climate” award.  The three-day ‘Thailand Climate Change Adaptation’ Expo, held during September 26-28, was organized by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) in order to build awareness of climate change…

ASEAN Legislators Discuss Ways to Support ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network

With the ASEAN Economic Community coming into effect in just over a year, the need for proper national regulatory frameworks to combat wildlife crime is becoming increasingly urgent.  Borders throughout ASEAN suffer from uneven enforcement, loopholes, and weak penalties for perpetrators of wildlife crimes. On September 18-22, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) held its 34th General…