Vancouver, Canada: The IGES Urban Environmental Management Project hosted a side event "Integrating Global Concerns into Urban Management in Asia: Challenges and Experiences" at the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, Canada on 20 June 2006. The event, attended by more than 70 people, was successful.

IGES will hold an international symposium entitled "Towards a Sustainable Asia - Today's Decisions for Tomorrow's Generations" on 1 July 2006 in Yokohama, inviting a variety of specialists and experts in the field of environmental studies. At this symposium IGES will introduce the Japanese version of the IGES white paper entitled, "Sustainable Asia 2005 and Beyond - In the pursuit of innovative policies" based on a comprehensive survey of Asia's environmental strategic research activities.

On 30 - 31 March, IGES and the United Nations Development Programme's Regional Centre in Bangkok (UNDP-RCB) conducted a joint workshop in Bangkok entitled “Developing a Regional Strategy for the Clean Development Mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region.” About forty participants including senior government officials from twenty-one countries in the Asia-Pacific region gathered to examine ways of ensuring CDM and other greenhouse gas reduction efforts benefit the poor in the region.

IGES is pleased to announce the publication of 2005 Top News on the Environment in Asia. "Top News" is a compilation of important environmental news topics selected by environmental experts from the Asia-Pacific region as well as by international organisations and research institutes. With Bhutan contributing reports for the first time, this 2005 edition brings together more news items than ever before, with three organisations and twenty-one countries submitting 118 articles.

On 20 January, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and IGES agreed upon the establishment of a strategic partnership to foster collaboration with the aim of realising sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. Ms. Elizabeth Fong, Regional Manager of the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok, and Prof. Akio Morishima, Chair of the Board of Directors for IGES, signed the letter of understanding.

The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Phase II (Chairman: Yoriko Kawaguchi, former Minister of the Environment / former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan) has launched its new international environment award, 'the APFED Awards for Good Practices,' which will be given to organisations that have made outstanding achievements in the promotion of socially-equitable and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

IGES published the "CDM Country Guide," a series of manuals for CDM project development for each Asian country including, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. The Guide was compiled under the Integrated Capacity Strengthening for the CDM/JI (ICS-CDM/JI) Programme initiated by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The version for Thailand will be available in early 2006.

In 2005, IGES organised consultations on the national and regional basis in six Asian nations to establish their concerns, interest and priorities for the climate regime beyond 2012. The participating countries included: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam. The results of these consultations are summarised in this new publication, which was presented on 2 December at the IGES side event of COP11 and COP/MOP1. This side event attracted the international media and was a great success with nearly 150 participants in attendance.

IGES has launched Policy Brief #2, entitled "Information Access as a Vehicle for Sustainable Development in Asia - Establishing regional agreement in Asia". The status of Asian disclosure of environmental information is lagging behind, especially in the developing countries. This issue proposes the steps for promoting information access, such as the establishment of an agreement at the regional level, the development of a basic model of legislation on access to environmental information in the region and the promotion of multi-stakeholder dialogue regionally and internationally.

IGES is launching a series of policy briefs, to send out the research outcomes of our researchers as clear and timely policy proposals for government agencies, international organisations, businesses, NGOs and others all over the world. They will raise the latest issues concerning sustainable development, and provide appropriate policy options.

IGES launched its new online platform "IGES EnviroScope" which is being set up to collect and provide detailed and up-to-date information on current environmental and sustainability issues, and policy measures in different countries and regions, as well as research output from IGES and other institutions in the Asia-Pacific Region and around the world.

IGES is pleased to announce its new publication, a special-featured issue of IRES on the Kyoto Protocol: its development, implications and the future. After 7 years of negotiations, the Kyoto Protocol will finally come into effect in February 2005 with Russia's ratification. This IRES issue is a new and interesting journal on Kyoto issues, containing the latest analyses and future forecasts by experts from all over the world.

IGES, together with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Kitakyushu, will hold the Third Meeting of the Kitakyushu Initiative Network on August 2-4 2004.

As of May 31(mon.) 2004, IGES Kansai Research Centre will be moved their office from 5th floor to 3rd floor of the same building.

Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Kansai Research Center
3rd floor, IHD Centre Bldg. 1-5-1 Wakinohama-kaigan-dori
Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0073
TEL: +81-78-262-6634 FAX:+81-78-262-6635**
** Our phone and facsimile numbers will remain the same

[Contact]
IGES Kansai Research Centre E-mail