Friday, 17 February 2023
The GEF/UNDP/ASEAN Project entitled, “Reducing Pollution and Preserving Environmental Flows in the East Asian Seas through the Implementation of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) in the ASEAN Countries” was just successfully launched through a two-day meeting. The project is a collaborative effort to address the pressing issue of pollution and environmental degradation in the river basins of Southeast Asia. Approved for implementation through 2023-2027, the project aims to establish functional IRBM mechanisms in priority river basins of six ASEAN countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.
The project's objectives are twofold: to reduce pollution and sustain freshwater environmental flows, and to adapt to the vulnerabilities of climate change. By building the capacity of river basin governance mechanisms, the project is aligned with the foundational objective of GEF 6 International Waters Strategy. Additionally, the project aims to provide working templates, tools and approaches that can solve real problems within a Source-to-Sea framework, and to create the means for replication and scaling up. The project will involve extensive capacity building and training to ensure that the mechanisms established are sustainable in the long-term. The project will be closely monitored and evaluated to ensure its success and to identify areas for improvement.
The PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) serves as the Project Implementing Partner, working in collaboration with National Government Partners in the six participating countries. UNDP provides a three-tier project assurance function, involving the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP Regional Bureau of Asia-Pacific, and UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support – Nature Climate and Energy.
The project will be governed by the Regional Steering Committee, comprising of the members of the ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management, specifically those representing the participating countries, and representatives from UNDP, the ASEAN Secretariat, and PRF. This committee will work to ensure that the project is implemented effectively and efficiently, and that it meets its goals of reducing pollution and preserving environmental flows in the river basins of the region.
The Regional Project Coordinator is Nancy Bermas. Learn more about her here.
A broadcast of the launch event can be viewed on our Facebook page.