Environment and Sustainable Development is one major target area of UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) along with poverty reduction and emerging social issues. A subcommittee meeting of UNESCAP on Environment and Sustainable Development will be held from 29 Sep. to 1 Oct. 2004 at United Nations Building in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting will seek multi-stakeholders partnerships for promoting sustainable development in the region in energy services in rural areas, water resources management, and prevention and control of dust and sandstorms. (Source: ESCAP)

The subcommittee meeting will review of programme performance for 2002-03 and to identify priority areas for inclusion in the programme work for 2006-07. The meeting will also percuss the status of preparation and strategies of the Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific which will be held in 2005.

With regard to the environment issues, it is noted that RCA has been carrying out several environment projects in which nuclear technologies can significantly contribute to solving problems.
The RCA Environment projects are; enhancing the sustainability of the marine costal environment; improving information on urban air quality management; investigating environment and water resources in geothermal areas; improving regional capacity for assessment, planning and response to aquatic environment emergencies; application of isotopic techniques in groundwater contamination studies in urbanized and industrial areas, and so on.

For further information: http://www.unescap.org/esd/subcommittee/