28-30 January 2020, Kobe, Japan — APN’s Temperate East Asia Subregional Committee (TEA-SRC), the Task Force responsible for drafting the Fourth Strategic Phase Report and the Fifth Strategic Plan of APN, and the 42nd Steering Committee (SC) of APN met in Kobe, Japan in back-to-back meetings from 28-30 January 2020.

The TEA-SRC took stock of activities since the last meeting and discuss actions in the new Strategic Phase (2020-2024), particularly on metrics of success, alignment of priorities, and dissemination of project outcomes at the county level. Members also discussed streamlining of APN activities to improve institutional effectiveness.

The Task Force meeting reviewed the key open questions related to the draft of the Fourth Strategic Phase Report and decided on the key goals and action areas to be included in the Fifth Strategic Plan. The report and strategic plan will be circulated among all members before the 24th Intergovernmental Meeting for its approval.

The Steering Committee considered reports from the Secretariat on institutional and development, science and communication, as well as finance and administration. The Committee approved funding for continuous multi-year projects, approved three proposals under the Science Communicator Grant, and developed a tentative time schedule for the upcoming 24th Intergovernmental meeting in June 2020. The
SC decided to continue discussions on monitoring and evaluation and improving the institutional efficiency of APN as it enters the Fifth Strategic Phase.