Environment and Development

Overview

ESCAP’s work on the environmental futures of Asia and the Pacific shows that the region faces multiplying and converging environmental risks. Current projections highlight that a business-as-usual path leads towards an uninhabitable future. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly targets associated with the environment, has been insufficient across the board and in some cases even regressed. However, a different and more healthy future is possible. Shifting development trajectory towards a green, resilient, and more equal Asia-Pacific in line with the 2030 Agenda, requires interventions to raise climate ambition, strengthen environmental governance, build sustainable cities, safeguard ecosystems’ health and manage pollution including air pollution.

The second edition ESCAP Executive Training on Environment and Development is organized by the Environment and Development Division (EDD) to inform and support dialogue among senior policy and decision makers on the current environment and development situation in the Asia-Pacific.

Building on the success of UNESCAP’s first Executive Training that took place in November 2020, this year’s training will continue to provide tools and methodologies to address evolving trends and challenges of long-term environmental and development issues the Asia-Pacific region faces to attain the best possible outcome for the environment. The training will also touch upon putting in place green COVID recovery plans.

This five-day virtual capacity development training program will take place from November 29 to December 3, 2021.

It will start with an opening session on: Fast Forwarding to Asia-Pacific's Future: shifting development trajectory towards a green, resilient, and more equal Asia-Pacific—in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The programme will then cover five thematic areas / EDD work streams, and each will have a specific focus:

  • Raising Climate Ambition: Opportunities and Tools to Drive-up Climate Ambition;
  • Safeguarding Ecosystems Health: Integrated Actions for Ecosystems and Ocean Health;
  • Clean Air for All: Urban, Nation and Regional Cooperation for Air Pollution Action;
  • Cities for a Sustainable Future: Strengthening Local Action to Accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and
  • Environmental Governance: Behavioural Science for Policymakers

Two side events will also be held along with the training modules:

  • The Value of Empowerment and Participation on Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • Air Pollution: Gender and Health - Thematic Dialogue on Air Pollution
The training program is designed for high-level policy and decision makers from national, subnational, and local government institutions that deal with key sectoral policies that impact environmental sustainability; climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation planning; city planning; and local resource management touch upon putting in place green COVID recovery plans.

Source : ESCAP Executive Training

PDF : Concept Note and Programme

Method of Delivery and Certification

This training program will be delivered during the course of one week and will cater for participation from different time zones from across Asia and the Pacific to the full extent possible.

The trainings will be conducted in the form of interactive webinars using Zoom and recordings of the webinars will be made available to participants after the sessions on the SDG HelpDesk. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants who attended a session on one thematic area. Participants who attend sessions on at least three thematic areas will be issued with an “Advocate” certificate and participants who attend sessions on all five thematic areas will be issued a “Leader” certificate after the training.


Fast Forwarding to Asia-Pacific’s Future

This is the opening session of the ESCAP Executive Training on Environment and Development from 2021. It provides an overview of key regional environmental trends as well as five big-ticket thematic drivers of change which have been identified by using transformative foresight approaches.

Integration of SDGs into the National Planning

This course supports policymakers and practitioners in developing plans to implement the 2030 Agenda. Module 1 tackles the need to integrate the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - across the policy cycle, while modules 2 and 3 present the theory and methodology of using systems thinking approaches for sustainable development.

Qualifying test for Training of Trainers on Integration of SDGs into the National Planning

This is a qualifying test for Training of Trainers on integration of SDGs into national planning exercises

Resource Efficiency

This course introduces Resource Efficiency, how to measure it and why it is important in the context of sustainable development, as well as policy pathways for promoting it, with a focus on Asia and the Pacific. Resource Efficiency is about creating more goods, services, wealth and ultimately human well-being with less input of natural resources.

Cities and Marine Plastic Pollution: Building a Circular Economy

This eLearning course was developed to support city-level capacity building on the topic of plastic waste management. The purpose of this course is to share the latest knowledge and approaches to measuring and managing plastic pollution from land-based sources, in particular cities, for the achievement of local, national and regional goals related to sustainable development.

Biodiversity, Climate Change & Human Health in the Context of COVID-19

This course shares the latest knowledge, approaches and techniques to raise ambition in tackling urgent environmental issues, specifically biodiversity, climate change and health in the context of COVID-19. The course aims to explore the interconnectedness of these issues in order to achieve the SDGs and prevent future zoonoses.

Water, the Ocean and the Sustainable Development Goals

This course shares the latest knowledge, approaches and techniques to raise ambition in taking and accelerating action for water and oceans. It draws on emerging lessons and initiatives from UN-Water and ESCAP projects and was developed with Stockholm International Water Institute, Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Government of Japan.

Localizing SDGs through Sustainable Urban Resource Management

This self-paced course was developed for those who want to learn more about how to localize the SDGs to sustainably manage natural resources in cities. The main course purpose is to support cities in their actions to localize the SDGs through Sustainable Urban Resource Management.

Applying Behavioural Science to Policy and the Environment

This self-paced course is targeted towards policymakers who wish to enhance their understanding of behavioural science applications for policy and the environment. The purpose is to increase the impact of policy interventions on positive outcomes for environmental sustainability. No previous knowledge of behavioural science is needed to take the course.

Raising Climate Ambition

This training session will focus on the “how” and “what” can be done nationally and locally to raise climate ambitions based on the circumstances of each country. Furthermore, the course provides hands-on tools for simulation of scenarios and policy development, and for discussion on challenges and best practices.

Environmental Governance

Environmental policy often fails because the motivations of key stakeholders are poorly understood. This course shows how environmental policy impact can be strengthened by applying behavioral science to steer individual decision-making and behaviour in a more sustainable direction. The session presents behavioral science for environmental policy and shares insights from case studies.

The Value of Empowerment and Participation on Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

This course introduces the importance of and applications of the Foresight Report on environment and development in Asia and the Pacific. It also presents other relevant knowledge products, including a report on the value of engagement for advancing the 2030 Agenda and paper on the advantages of environmental impact assessments.

Clean Air for All

This course focuses on how to link innovative methodologies for addressing air pollution locally with national and regional efforts. Participants will understand how machine learning can help fill gaps in available science to focus action plans on impactful policies. Plans will be grounded in cooperation through city networks and regional modalities on air pollution.

Safeguarding Ecosystems Health

This module promotes the design of effective policies that safeguard ecosystems health in the Asia-Pacific. The session reinforces capacities of government officials through the exploration of integrated environmental actions, ranging from action on the nexus between biodiversity, ecosystems, health and climate to joint action on ocean, freshwater and climate.

Cities for a Sustainable Future

The course will deliver guidance on how the region’s cities can become smart, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Through a focus on four integrated thematic pillars (Urban and Territorial Planning; Urban Resilience; Smart Cities and Technologies; and Urban Finance), participants will learn of policy pathways that can be deployed and additional tools, including the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) process, to build back better within the context of post-pandemic recoveries.

Air Pollution: Gender and Health

This course focuses on innovative air pollution solutions and best practices, including policy interventions, on gender and public health. The session raises awareness and builds the capacity of stakeholders to identify the most appropriate innovations and use existing and emerging technologies in the development of their air quality policies.

METHODOLOGIES FOR GHG EMISSIONS INVENTORIES AND PARIS AGREEMENT REPORTING

This course supports officials and technical experts from non-Annex I countries engaged in the development of and responsible for official submission of national greenhouse gas inventory reports. It consists of five modules, covering the main sectors responsible for greenhouse gas emissions: Energy, industrial processes and product use, agriculture, land use/forestry and waste.

МЕТОДИЧЕСКИЕ РЕКОМЕНДАЦИИ. РАСЧЕТ ЭМИССИЙ ПАРНИКОВЫХ ГАЗОВ И ПОДГОТОВКА ОТЧЕТНОСТИ ДЛЯ СТРАН ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ С УЧЕТОМ ПАРИЖСКОГО СОГЛАШЕНИЯ (Russian)

Этот онлайн курс разработан коллективом авторов из Института глобального климата и экологии им. академика Ю.А. Израэля (ИГКЭ) и ЭСКАТО для оказания поддержки государственным чиновникам и техническим экспертам из стран, не включенных в Приложение I РКИК ООН, которые занимаются разработкой и отвечает за официальное представление национальных отчетов о кадастрах парниковых газов в соответствии с Руководящими принципами национальных кадастров парниковых газов МГЭИК (МГЭИК, 2006 г.) , а также с Дополнением 2013 г. к ним «Водно-болотные угодья» (МГЭИК, 2013) и Дополнениями 2019 г. (МГЭИК, 2019), которые рекомендованы к применению на добровольной основе Конференцией сторон РКИК ООН.

Simulation tool for carbon pricing in support of NDC implementation

This simulation tool was developed for policymakers and climate practitioners to consider opportunities for applying carbon pricing instruments in support of NDC targets. The course aims to provide an understanding of how CPIs impact socioeconomic factors of development; examine scenarios for implementation of NDC targets using CPIs and assess ways to invest in increasing natural climate solutions.