APFED II Final Report: Driving Innovation for Sustainable Asia and Pacific

With the intent to encourage innovation in policy, technology and social mobilisation, the APFED Phase II (APFED II) programmes have been promoted with the strong support of more than 30 eminent persons over the past five years. APFED members who have access to extensive high level environment and sustainable development policy arenas in the region have provided guidance since 2001 to the APFED II programme activities that are centred around three programme pillars, namely (1) Policy Dialogues, (2) a Knowledge Initiative, and (3) a Showcase Programme, implemented through a supporting institutional mechanism called (4) NetRes or the Asia-Pacific Regional Network of Policy Research Institutes for Environmental Management and Sustainable Development.

A series of multi-stakeholder policy dialogues have been conducted over the past five years. APFED awards were given to 27 projects under the Knowledge Initiative and 47 pilot projects have been supported under the Showcase Programme. In total, applications for the APFED Award numbered 218 for the four-year period 2006-2009. The number of applications for the Showcase Programme came to 941 for the five years from 2006-2009. The voluminous response of stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to APFED II programmes indicates the magnitude of interest and demands for sharing information on successful practices and experimenting with innovative techniques to promote sustainable development in the region.

This report is the manifestation of wisdom and ebullience demonstrated by APFED members and partners in pursuing innovation to promote sustainable development in the region. Social mobilisation and stakeholder empowerment are two of the embedded themes that run throughout this report. Models for achieving sustainable development are broadly delineated. The task is now to devise policy tools and mechanisms that will propagate such models across the region and the world to achieve sustainable development at the global level. Our quest for a sustainable world needs to continue with bolstered efforts and enhanced partnership. It is hoped that this report provides useful perspectives and basic elements to develop and implement policies and activities required to achieve sustainable development in this region and the world.