FACT SHEET: 2nd ASEAN-U.S. Summit

The White HouseOffice of the Press SecretaryFor Immediate ReleaseToday, President Obama met with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders and foreign ministers and the ASEAN Secretariat's Secretary-General at the 2nd ASEAN-U.S. Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. President Obama reaffirmed the importance of U.S.-ASEAN ties as a crucial element of the United States' strategic…

Dalat University Adopts USAID LEAF Climate Change Curriculum as Required Course

Vietnam's Dalat University has adopted materials from the United States Agency for International Development’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) climate change curriculum to use in a mandatory course for all students. Developed over the past two years by 14 universities in USAID LEAF’s six core countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,…

Mobiles for Development in Asia Award Applications Due November 14, 2014

USAID and FHI360 are sponsoring the Mobiles for Development in Asia Award and are now accepting applications. The award highlights promising mobile services, apps and other innovative uses of mobile technologies by Asia-based institutions that have the potential to impact development outcomes in climate change, food security, health, governance, biodiversity and fisheries.While applications from organizations…

Fin Free Youth Ambassador Extends Reach of Fin Free Campaign

On October 21, Fin Free Thailand representatives attended the Western Province Hotel association monthly meeting in Cha Am, Phetchaburi Province to promote the campaign to end the shark fin trade and to raise awareness of decreasing shark populations.Fin Free Youth Ambassador Phitchaya Thongthai, 13, presented the Fin Free Thailand campaign to more than 50 hotel…

Mobiles for Development Asia Forum Registration Open

The second annual Mobiles for Development Asia Forum, hosted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and FHI 360, will take place in Bangkok on January 20 and 21, 2015. The purpose of the forum is to examine how to use mobiles for development in a more holistic, cross-cutting and inclusive manner.Space at the…

Forest Rangers Complete WildScan Species Identification Training

On October 16, 15 forest rangers from Thailand and Cambodia received in-depth training on WildScan, a new species identification and response application to combat wildlife trafficking now available for free on Android devices. The training was part of the Protected-area Operational and Tactical Enforcement Conservation Training (PROTECT) Team Leaders Course.Participants will pass on to their…

USAID Supports Improved National Forest Monitoring Systems in Asia

Over 90 participants from 18 countries in Asia attended the Fifth Regional Forest Monitoring Systems and Reference Levels for REDD+ workshop, held from October 20 to 22 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hosted by UN-REDD, USAID’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests project (USAID LEAF), SilvaCarbon and the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, the workshop brought together participants to…

Center for International Forestry Research Publishes Paper on Payments for Environmental Services in Cambodia

With USAID support, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) recently published, “A review of payments for environmental services experiences in Cambodia.” The paper examines the legal and policy status of payments for environmental services (PES), including how they have been promoted by nongovernmental organizations and international donors and applied by the government in Cambodia.In…

Cambodia Holds Public Consultations for Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Law

From October 13 to 14, Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment and the Vishnu Law Group, with support from the USAID-supported Mekong Partnership for the Environment project implemented by Pact, held a public consultation workshop in Battambang province on Cambodia’s new Draft Law on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).More than 124 representatives from government ministries, civil society groups…

USAID Signs Agreement with Vietnam Province to Support New Sustainable Economic Growth Model

On October 7, 2014, in Thanh Hoa City, Vietnam, representatives from the USAID Vietnam Forests and Deltas program and the regional USAID Low Emissions Asian Development program signed a memorandum of understanding with the newly established Green Growth Task Force of Thanh Hoa Province that details USAID support for designing and implementing a green growth…

USAID and NASA Using Technology for Development in Lower Mekong

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today announced a five-year project that will promote the use of satellite imagery to help Asia’s Lower Mekong region better predict and cope with floods and other natural disasters and increase resilience to the negative effects of climate…

World Rhino Day Video Raises Public Awareness of Rhino Poaching Crisis

In preparation for World Rhino Day, members of the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST) coalition created a short film calling on the public to stop purchasing rhino horn and to support wildlife protection efforts. Rhino poaching has reached a crisis point. They are now extinct in Vietnam and are being poached…