The two-day workshop brought together some 35 policy makers from Finance, Planning, Agriculture, Environment, Energy and other sector ministries from several countries across Asia. The workshop discussed the broad linkages among environmental change, poverty, and economic development and to jointly examine the challenges of ‘greening’ development. The workshop was jointly organized by UNDP, UNEP and SANDEE as part of an effort to integrate the environment into development planning and thinking.

Session 3: Economic instruments for greening development
Session 12.1: Markets for ecosystem goods and bads — REDD+ and Wildlife Insurance — Country Examples, India
Agenda
Session 9: Adapting to Climate change in Bangladesh
Session 14.2: Evaluating our development programs – Country Examples, Pakistan
Session 14.1: Evaluating our development programs, Country examples, India
Session 13: Examining development interventions: Are Cook stoves a win win?
Session 12.3: Markets for ecosystem goods and bads — REDD+ and Wildlife Insurance — Country Examples, Indonesia
Session 12.2: Markets for ecosystem goods and bads — REDD+ and Wildlife Insurance — Country Examples, Bhutan
Session 11: Managing our ecosystems
Session 10.3: Panel discussion on Climate and Environmental Public Expenditure Reviews, Nepal
Session 10.2: Panel discussion on Climate and Environmental Public Expenditure Reviews, Bangladesh
Session 10.1: Panel discussion on Climate and Environmental Public Expenditure Reviews, Bhutan
Session 8: Addressing climate change: decentralized energy management in India
Session 6: Fixing market failures by valuing the environment
Session 4.3: Panel discussion on mineral wealth, fiscal revenues and environmental conservation, Philippines
Session 4.2: Panel discussion on mineral wealth, fiscal revenues and environmental conservation, Philippines
Session 4.1: Panel discussion on mineral wealth, fiscal revenues and environmental conservation, India
Session 2.2: Developments in greening accounts – Country examples, India
Session 2.1: Developments in greening accounts – Country examples, Bhutan
Session 1: Are we really growing? Measuring and accounting for well-being and the environment

Given the reality of climate change, India and the other South Asian countries need to begin to identify the best strategies to adapt to climate change. In order to do so, we need an understanding of the impacts of climate change on different sectors, the strategies available to reduce these impacts and the costs of adaptation. Even as we examine issues related to climate adaptation, we need to also understand how the other drivers of change interact with climatic changes and increase the economic vulnerability of different communities. The objective of this workshop is to tease out and identify some of the important issues that need to be more fully understood in the area of climate change adaptation. The workshop seeks to identify a set of research, training and policy priorities.

Agenda, Participant List, Policy Note

This workshop was jointly organized by UNDP, UNEP, the Planning Commission of Bangladesh and SANDEE. The objective was to develop a more rigorous understanding of the economic analysis required as Bangladesh considers various climate and adaptation options. The workshop examined economic analysis in Bangladesh and review methodologies, economic results and priority areas for research.

Please follow this link to find the powerpoint slides from different presenters at the workshop.

Presentations, Agenda

A three-day workshop / policy seminar, Banking on mangroves: a case for investing in coastal ecosystems, was organized jointly by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pakistan and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). The speakers, panel and attendees were drawn from coastal ecosystem experts, researchers, policy makers, academics, NGO representatives, government ministers, and coastal community representatives along with IUCN staff/members. The workshop focused on valuation of coastal ecosystems,community management and restoration of mangroves.

From SANDEE, Priya Shyamsundar and Mani Nepal participated in the workshop as did researchers Saudamini Das and Santadas Ghosh, who presented their coastal ecosystem related research. On day three, there was a plenary panel that included a number of senior decision makers including the Minister of Environment, Sindh, Hafeez Pasha, the former head of UNDP Asia, the CEO of Pakistan Petroleum Limited, and the leader of a fisheries mass movement. The Minister of Environment, Baluchistan was also present. This workshop’s outcomes will feed into a coastal management plan being developed by IUCN. Some of the links for the media coverage of this event are given below:
http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=92703863
http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/29/local7.html
http://pakobserver.net/200811/29/news/business09.asp
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=149385
Agenda