13 February 2026, Kobe, Japan – The 59th Steering Committee (SC) Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) concluded successfully, attended by national Focal Points, Scientific Planning Group members, donor representatives, co-opted members and the Secretariat.

The meeting opened with remarks from Dr Douglas Hill, the national Focal Point for New Zealand and the SC Chairperson, and Mr Toshiyuki Yamasaki, Director of the Secretariat.

The SC reviewed progress on action points from the 58th SC meeting and approved the report from the Secretariat, which covered stakeholder engagement, recent activities, the 2025 Call for Proposals and the budget status. The SC also discussed strategic development, including the process for preparing the Sixth Strategic Plan, and approved the establishment of a Small Working Group to support its development.

Updates were also provided on the Task Force on APN Institutional and Financial Sustainability and on the launch of APN donation webpages. In addition, the Secretariat announced that the 27th Joint Intergovernmental Meeting and Scientific Planning Group (IGM-SPG) Meeting will be held from 7 to 10 July 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The meeting concluded with confirmation of action points and closing remarks by the Chairperson, reaffirming APN’s continued commitment to advancing global change research and regional collaboration.