28-29 June 2023—The 52nd Steering Committee Meeting convened in person at Kobe, Japan, attended by elected national Focal Points representing four subregional committees, Co-Chairpersons of the Scientific Planning Group, representatives of donor countries and Invited Experts. The Scientific Planning Group Sub-Committee and the Capacity Development Committee also attended the Meeting.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks by Dr Douglas Hill, the national Focal Point for New Zealand and Chairperson of the Steering Committee, and Mr Ryuji Tomisaka, Director of the Secretariat. The Steering Committee reviewed action points from the previous meeting and confirmed the report on APN activities and budget status, and discussed subregional cooperation activities and stakeholder engagement. 

Additionally, the Steering Committee approved funding for ten proposals under the Collaborative Regional Research Programme (CRRP) and seven proposals under the Scientific Capacity Development programme (CAPaBLE) based on recommendations by the Scientific Planning Group Sub-Committee and the Capacity Development Committee that met on 27 June, respectively. Subsequently, the Steering Committee approved the programme of work and budget plan for the fiscal year 2023 (1 July 2023-30 June 2024).

Furthermore, the Steering Committee discussed the development of a mid-term evaluation report of the 5th Strategic Phase by assessing monitoring reports presented by the Secretariat, comparing monitoring reports with the 5th Strategic Plan and brainstorming the future strategic direction. The Steering Committee also evaluated the overall achievements of APN so far in accordance with the 5th Strategic Plan.