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APN Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 May 1997
Second APN Inter-Governmental Meeting The APN Second Inter-Governmental Meeting (IGM) took place in Tokyo on 27 and 28 March with representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA, and observers from IHDP, ENRICH, SASCOM, TEACOM, and the International START Secretariat. At this meeting, governmental representatives discussed APN support of specific projects, further solidified the organizational structure of the APN, and agreed to make the Secretariat permanent in Japan. (Proceedings of the IGM will be available soon. Please contact the Secretariat for a copy.) Mr. Tsuneo Suzuki, Parliamentary Vice Minister of the Environment Agency of Japan, gave the opening speech, expressing hope that APN could help strengthen collaboration on global change research. Mr. Hironori Hamanaka of Japan served as Chairperson and Mr. Aca Sugandhy of Indonesia as Vice-chairperson. The IGM began by discussing the Summary Report of the Scientific Planning Group (SPG) meeting, which immediately preceded the IGM. The SPG had proposed APN support for several projects and indicated that the APN Steering Group could consider other proposals later. The IGM endorsed the Summary, authorizing the APN Secretariat to support the projects in accordance with SPG suggestions (See the SPG report below). Participants approved highly of the human dimensions aspects of APN's activities. Next, the Meeting discussed the draft Procedures for Selection of Research Topics and Workshop Activities, which included a section on format for research and workshop proposals to the APN. Under the proposed procedures, proposals would be received by the end of September each year, circulated to SPG members for comment, considered by the annual SPG meeting and APN Steering Group and decided on at the IGM. Both APN core funds and the making of requests to APN countries for national funds would be considered. Suggestions by the IGM included developing criteria and guidelines in line with previous APN discussions, informing SPG members of them well before the September deadline for proposals, considering procedures for projects seeking both APN and national program funding, and considering input from global change committees in selecting APN projects. The Meeting accepted revisions in the Mandate of the Steering Group, which outlines its role, membership, and tasks, giving it the additional task of helping APN develop funding arrangements. Moving on to the Financial Report and Budget, the Meeting thanked the Environment Agency of Japan for its support, which is being continued, and the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) for continued support of $250,000 for the 1997-98 fiscal year to help broaden participation by developing countries. The Secretariat showed an initial budget proposal based on funds from Japan of 119 million yen (about one million US dollars), and the Meeting approved the proposed budget. IGM delegates had a broad-ranging discussion on ways to finance APN-supported activities, to stimulate ideas for the Steering Group to consider. Ideas included attracting private-sector funds, raising national funds, and more clearly defining the structure of APN to make it easier to attract funds, etc. One American delegate suggested learning from IAI, which may be able to send representatives to discuss this topic with the Steering Group. Funding options will be circulated this year and considered at the 1998 Inter-Governmental Meeting. As APN has entered its operational phase, it was thought that set rules of procedure for meetings are now needed. Draft rules were presented. The Meeting made suggestions, including encouraging SPG members also to be on IGM delegations, clarifying rights and duties of country representatives and observers, inviting donors and the private sector to attend as observers, and devising procedures to overcome deadlocks in reaching consensus. Specifically with regard to Rules for SPG meetings, suggestions included having provisions for alternative representatives when necessary, requiring members to be knowledgeable about global change research, and circulating records of SPG meetings more widely. There were four items of other business:
China offered to host the next IGM meeting in Beijing in late March 1998.
Scientific Planning Group Meeting Second APN Scientific Planning Group Meeting Representatives gathered in Tokyo from 24-26 March 1997 for the APN Second Scientific Planning Group (SPG) meeting, from Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA, SARCS, SASCOM, TEACOM and the International START Secretariat, and observers from ENRICH and IGBP. Below is a summary of the meeting. Some recommendations made were that the Secretariat seek better balance in geographical representation from APN countries, promote coordination with other, similar studies, narrow its focus, and demand specific and concrete results. (For more information please ask the Secretariat for the proceedings.) First came reports on activities supported by or of interest to APN. The November 1996 Kyoto Workshop on Land Use in Temperate East Asia, co-sponsored by APN, resulted in a network of researchers studying factors affecting changes in various natural and managed systems, intensification of agriculture, and urban-rural interfaces. The START/APN Regional Climate Modeling Meeting for East Asia, held in Boulder, Colorado, in September 1996, endorsed a proposal to develop a regional climate system model for East Asia. The SPG noted two important, unaddressed issues: biosphere-atmosphere coupling, and anthropogenic modification of the monsoon. The January 1997 Workshop on Human Dimensions Issues in New Delhi sponsored by APN, START, SASCOM, and GCTE was reported to have brought deeper understanding of global change issues in the Asia-Pacific region. In working groups, participants had discussed food security, freshwater supply, policy-support issues, and follow-up proposals such as trainings for researchers in integrated assessment modeling. A report on the Automatic Weather Station network of the GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME) in Thailand, China, Mongolia and Russia indicated that the work is expected to produce large-scale data on surface radiation and energy/water balances, aiding understanding of the monsoon and other climatic phenomena. The START/WCRP/IGBP/GCTE Workshop on Climate Variability, Agricultural Productivity, and Food Security in the Asian Monsoon Region, held in Bogor, Indonesia, and the Planning Meeting for the Asia-Pacific Region on the Regional Effort on the Application of Climate Forecasts, held in Bali, both in February 1997, were of interest for APN. The SPG decided that concrete plans should be made soon for APN's assistance with some of the activities and recommended that the APN Steering Group authorize necessary action on proposals prior to the next SPG and IGM meetings. Next came funding proposals for scientific act-ivities for 1997-98. There were several follow-up proposals from the Human Dimensions Workshop in New Delhi. The SPG agreed that human dim-ensions issues could become a strength of APN, and that future activities should contribute to integrated assessment and modeling programs. The SPG endorsed support for proposals in fields in which APN has particular interest. The Meeting also endorsed support for:
Participants agreed on compiling a report on the important issue of communications for the next SPG meeting. They supported the idea of having one APN liaison officer for each START region involved with the APN and encouraged the Secretariat to begin arrangements as soon as possible after finalizing the proposed written agreements outlining tasks and responsibilities. Australia offered to host the next SPG meeting in Canberra in late 1997 or early 1998.
Second Session of the GAME International Science Panel About 50 scientists and government officials from 14 countries gathered on March 24-25, 1997, at the Soegwipo KAL Hotel, Cheju, Korea, for the Second Session of the GAME International Science Panel (GAME-ISP). They included 24 GAME members, 23 experts and observers, and 6 secretariat staff. There were reports on the activities of all components of GAME implemented in 1996 or planned in 1997-1998, including AAN monitoring, four regional experiments, modeling and data management. One major issue discussed in this session was the implementation plan of the GAME/SCSMEX joint IOP (Intensive Observing Period) in 1998. For one full day, the participants discussed the plan and decided on enhanced radiosonde observations at more than 110 stations in Asia for two months during the onset phase of the monsoon (from mid-May to mid-June) and the mature phase in July. There was also intensive discussion of the data management policy and structure of GAIN (GAME Information and Archive Network), which resulted in agreement to set up a working group to discuss and manage data exchange issues, including implementation of GAIN.
Following the meeting of the GAME International Science Panel, the Third International Study Conference on GEWEX in Asia and GAME was held on March 26-28 at the Soegwipo KAL Hotel in Cheju, Korea. About 135 participants from 15 countries joined this conference, presenting a multitude of papers. The major topics of discussion were surface and satellite monitoring of hydro-meteorological parameters in Asia, energy and water cycle processes of the Asian monsoon, and modeling of regional and global-scale monsoons and hydrological processes in Asia.
The Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) is an inter-governmental organization created to support the promotion of global environmental research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Japan is serving as the Secretariat.
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