1. Attendance
2. Major objectives of the Seminar
3. Conduct of the Seminar
4. Outcomes of the COP3
5. Further actions to be taken by the countries of the region
6. Regional information network on climate change
7. Possible role of local governments to address climate change

   Appendix 1:
   Proposed Initiatives to be Considered in the Asia-Pacific Region

   1. INITIATIVES TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION
   2. REGIONAL COOPERATIVE ACTIONS

   Appendix 2:
   Proposed Outline and Structure of the Asia-Pacific Network on
   Climate Change (AP NET)

   1. Outline of the AP NET
   2. Structure of the AP NET

      Attachment 1: Structure of the AP NET
      Attachment 2: Information Category in the CC:INFO/Web

   List of Participants

1. The Eighth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change was held in Phuket, Thailand from 22- 25 June 1998, organized by the Environment Agency of Japan, Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in cooperation with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan, the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).



1. Attendance

   2. The Seminar was attended by experts from twenty-one countries, including China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tuvalu, the United States of America, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The Seminar was also attended by representatives of eight international/intergovernmental organizations, namely, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), ESCAP, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme/Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP/ROAP), and the Secretariat of UNFCCC. All participants appreciated efforts made by organizing agencies for having arranged this important seminar on climate change.

   

2. Major objectives of the Seminar

   3. The major objectives of the Seminar were to:

   (a) discuss the outcomes of the COP3, and consider their implications for regional cooperation on climate change;

   (b) identify issues that may be addressed by the countries of Asia and the Pacific, and work out a package of possible initiatives towards the COP4 and beyond;

   (c) discuss possible regional mechanisms to facilitate the exchange of information and views on climate change among the countries of the region, including the information network to facilitate access to the latest scientific, technological, research and administrative/institutional information.

   

3. Conduct of the Seminar

   4. The Seminar commenced with opening addresses by Mr. Hironori Hamanaka, the Director General, Global Environment Department of the Environment Agency of Japan, and Dr. Rezaul Karim, the representative of ESCAP, followed by a welcome speech by Mr. Jadej Insawang, the Governor of Phuket. Then, Dr. Saksit Tridech, the Secretary General, Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government introduced the major objectives and organization of the Seminar, and H.E. Mr. Yingpan Manasikarn, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Thai Government addressed to the participants and declared the opening of the Seminar.

   5. The Seminar elected Dr. Saksit Tridech as Chairperson, Messrs. Purna Bahadur Shrestha, the Deputy Director General, Department of Hydrology Meteorology, Nepal and Seluka Seluka, the PICCAP Coordinator, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Tuvalu as Vice-chairpersons, and Mr. Katsunori Suzuki, the Acting Director General, Acid Deposition and Oxidant Research Center, Japan as Rapporteur. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Saksit could chair the meeting for the first two days. The last two days were chaired by Mr. Suphavit Piamphongsant, Chief Inspector General, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, who was entrusted by Dr. Saksit to perform the remaining tasks of the chairperson during his absence.

   6. The keynote address titled "Outcomes of the COP3 and issues to be further addressed by the countries of Asia and the Pacific " was delivered by Mr. Kok Kee Chow, the Director, Meteorological Office, Malaysian Meteorological Service and the Chairman of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of UNFCCC. In his address, Mr. Chow emphasized that the countries should be encouraged to sign/ratify the Kyoto Protocol quickly and that the time has come for the countries of the region to consider further regional cooperation which should continue to provide the concerted efforts of addressing climate change.

   

4. Outcomes of the COP3

   7. The participants of the Seminar noted with appreciation that the information provided by various international, intergovernmental and bilateral organizations as well as the Seminar secretariat was very informative and useful.

   8. The participants considered that the Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC is a significant first step towards the protection of the climate system in pursuit of sustainable development in the 21st Century. They took note, in particular, that the agreement of the legally binding, quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets of the Annex I Parties is an important achievement of the Protocol, and that the Annex I Parties should make their utmost efforts to attain their targets. In this connection, they welcomed the information on the Japanese domestic efforts, such as submission of a Bill for the Promotion of Measures to Tackle Global Warming, to reduce its GHG emissions in a comprehensive manner.

   9. The participants also took note that there were many remaining issues before the entry into force of the Protocol. Such issues include, inter alia, those on sinks, operationalization of mechanisms, namely, Joint Implementation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and Emissions Trading. There were lively discussions on CDM, which could be established as a new mechanism for technology transfer. They agreed that further efforts should be made to solve the remaining issues in relevant fora.

   10. The participants recognized the progress achieved in the region to advance the implementation of UNFCCC. In this connection, they emphasized the importance of continuing technical and financial support by Annex II Parties to further advancing the implementation of the Convention. The needs for better access to environmentally sound technologies, for instance through technology information centers at regional and national levels, were also stressed.

   

5. Further actions to be taken by the countries of the region

   11. According to the 1997 questionnaire survey conducted by the Environment Agency of Japan and the United Nations University, national GHG inventories had been prepared or underway in many countries of the region. Although as of June 1998, only two initial communications were submitted from the developing countries in the region, many countries had initiated their preparation process. Some countries developed national plans that include climate change components.

   12. Some countries had taken steps for mitigation and adaptation measures. The ALGAS project had played an important role to identify potential GHG abatement projects in selected developing countries of the region. It was revealed that many countries preferred to promote energy-related projects, such as the improvement of energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy. The participants felt that the next step should be taken to identify financial resources for such projects, including GEF, multilateral and bilateral organizations.

   13. The participants emphasized the importance of endogenous capacity building, particularly for identification of technology needs, the assessment of technology options and adaptation of technologies taking into account the local conditions. They also stressed the importance of public awareness and the role of media in respective countries, and continuing support for such activities. The role of UNEP and ESCAP in promoting public awareness was emphasized.

   14. The participants agreed that experiences in the region in dealing with climate change should be shared among the countries of the region so that other countries could consider similar types of projects/actions in line with their own national priorities. Ways and means to enhance this process in respective countries may need to be explored.

   15. The participants discussed possible initiatives that could be considered by the countries of the region, and identified the major points, based on the experiences gained in the region. They agreed that the countries in the region should further promote actions as contained in Appendix 1, taking into account their national priorities and local conditions.

   

6. Regional information network on climate change

   16. The participants noted with appreciation the study carried out by the Environment Agency of Japan on the regional information network on climate change, taking into account the outcomes of the ESCAP Expert Group Meeting on Regional Cooperation for Climate Change.

   17. Based on the information provided, and considering the on-going discussions at SBSTA, the participants recognized that:

   (a) The priority information that countries in the region are trying to collect with respect to climate change are outputs, schedules and contact addresses of relevant workshops/seminars, basic policies, composition and structures of government organizations, trends of GHG emissions, detailed information on climate-friendly technologies and so on;

   (b) Many countries are mainly using traditional means of collecting information, such as publications, magazines, and reports on study outputs. However, Internet web sites also seem to be promising in the near future;

   (c) The Internet offers a number of benefits over alternative means of communication; and easier and global level access to updated national climate change information, quicker and more interactive communication among users and search capabilities;

   (d) Some countries are providing their national information on climate change mainly through Internet web sites such as CC:INFO/Web;

   (e) The most commonly used web site related to climate change is CC:INFO/ Web, followed by web sites of UNEP and USCSP etc. Some available web sites had rarely been accessed by climate change experts, mainly due to insufficient information on such web sites;

   (f) For meeting the efforts to establish and operate national web sites, technical and financial support from various sources is required;

   (g) The countries in the region, if they have not done so, should be assisted to establish a national web site with the format proposed in the CC:INFO/Web in order to provide national information on climate change for better exchange of information and experiences;

   (h) Many existing web sites are not focusing on climate change, and are not user-friendly for climate change experts. Some mechanisms should be developed to enhance accessibility to existing useful information on climate change and to exchange information between countries in the region and with other organizations via Internet; and

   (i) Other methods such as floppy diskette, CD-ROM, e-mail, newsletter and the workshops should be utilized in order to facilitate information exchange, since some countries are facing difficulties in connecting the Internet.

   18. The participants welcomed the initiative of the Government of Japan on this topic, and endorsed the proposal on the Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change, outlined in Appendix 2.

   19. The participants noted with appreciation the offer made by the UNFCCC Secretariat to collaborate with appropriate organizations in holding a training workshop to develop national web sites on climate change and on the implementation of UNFCCC for the countries of the region.

   

7. Possible role of local governments to address climate change

   20. Participants welcomed the information provided by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI: Asia and Pacific Secretariat, Japan Office) on Nagoya Declaration, progress on the "Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Asia and Pacific Campaign" and dissemination of the Guidelines for Local Action Plans for Climate Protection in the region. They also took note with appreciation the presentations by local governments on their community-based activities to address climate change.

   21. Considering the encouraging developments reported to the Seminar and significant potential such local actions may have in advancing climate protection measures in a country, participants noted that:

   (a) Local governments in many countries are responsible for land use, waste management, transportation infrastructure, building and construction codes, energy utilities and public education, thus have a significant potential to reduce energy use and GHG emissions by employing these powers;

   (b) Some local governments have taken early actions and locally based campaigns to reduce local GHG emissions. Such actions include investment in energy efficiency and transportation projects that reduce local energy use, waste management policies that reduce methane emissions and promote waste reduction and recycling, and community-based campaigns for environmentally sound life styles by, for instance, reducing energy use in households and commercial buildings. These actions are also locally beneficial;

   (c) All stakeholders, including citizens and local business communities should be actively involved in local level activities;

   (d) Experience gained by such local governments should be shared with other local governments in the region as much as possible, through CCP Asia and Pacific Campaign and other appropriate means, and towards this end, promote Internet communication links with local authorities;

   (e) Local governments could play an important role in reducing GHG emissions, particularly:

   • from municipal and other public operations, including buildings, facilities, landfills, waste treatment, and water pumping stations
   • from community-wide activities, including transportation, housing and commerce locally;
   • through significant expansion of the supply of renewable energy; and
   • through local educational initiatives and organizations to enhance public understanding of climate change, thereby improving acceptance for government policies to address climate change.

   (f) Leading local governments as well as ICLEI should play a leading role for direct cooperation and collaboration among local authorities in the region to address climate change; and

   (g) National governments should encourage and support local governments to initiate appropriate local level actions, through dissemination of scientific and technological information in a timely manner, and through other appropriate means.

   22. It was recommended that the major outcomes of the Seminar should be reported to the ECO- ASIA '98 in September this year in Sendai, Japan and the ESCAP Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Development in October 1998. The Chairperson's Summary of the Seminar should also be disseminated as widely as possible.

   23. Participants welcomed the offer of Mr. Yasunori Yamawaki, Vice-Governor of Shiga Prefectural Government to host the Ninth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change some time in summer 1999 in Shiga Prefecture, together with the Environment Agency of Japan and ESCAP, and in cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat and other relevant organizations.

   Phuket, Thailand, 25 June 1998 Saksit Tridech Chairperson The Eighth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change

    

Appendix 1

Proposed Initiatives to be Considered in the Asia-Pacific Region

At the Eighth Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change, experts in the Asia-Pacific region discussed and identified initiatives to be considered by the countries of the region to address climate change and regional cooperative actions.

The Asia-Pacific region can play an important role in addressing climate change. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the region mainly come from consumption of fossil fuels. Many countries of the region have taken actions to address climate change, such as preparation of national GHG inventories, assessment of social, economic and environmental impacts, studies on and implementation of short, medium and long-term mitigation and adaptation options, and development of national plans which integrate climate change considerations. However, developing countries of the region suffer from shortage of funding, lack of relevant data and accessible information and other scientific, technical, financial and institutional constraints.

In promoting such initiatives, the countries of the region may wish to consider the following important points, taking into account their national priorities and the principles embedded in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Developed countries and international/intergovernmental organizations may provide financial and technical assistance to assist in the implementation of the initiatives.

1. INITIATIVES TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION

   Issues for consideration and proposed actions

   1. Policies and measures to address climate change need to be developed on the basis of adequate information on science and technology, and different national conditions. Studies on climate change should be intensively promoted, the results of which could also be used to enhance public and political awareness of the problem. Coordination and cooperation with international research and applied research institutions working in the fields relating to climate change are encouraged.

   2. Preparation of national GHG inventories provides the fundamental basis for developing mitigation actions. The countries in the region which have not prepared their own GHG inventories are urged to do so, using various funds available to them. Funds from various sources are also available for countries willing to update their inventories.

   3. National development plans such as five-year economic development plans should take into account climate change aspects. On the other hand, policies and measures addressing climate change should be formulated and implemented in the context of sustainable development, taking into account the national priorities.

   4. Implementation of projects only for the purpose of addressing climate change can not easily be justified in developing countries in the region. It is important to promote projects, which have multiple benefits as immediate options. In this connection, it should be emphasized that energy conservation and energy efficiency improvement projects have a large potential in this region.

   5. Since vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategies are particularly important in countries vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise, more studies should be undertaken to develop appropriate adaptation strategies. Some adaptation projects should be formulated and implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of such adaptation strategies and technologies.

   6. The potential in the region to limit GHG emissions is significant in the energy and energy related sectors. Two major technological options in the energy supply sector are energy efficiency improvement and the promotion of renewable energy. In particular, it is important to improve coal combustion efficiency and to promote other alternative energy sources. The countries of the region may wish to consider these options, particularly regarding power plant rehabilitation, combined cycle power plants and small hydropower plants as short-term options. Wind energy, solar photovoltaics and advanced biomass power generation, mainly as medium to long-term options, need to be promoted, taking into account the national priorities and local conditions.

   7. Demand side management is also crucial to limit GHG emissions. The countries of the region, if they have not done so, may wish to consider end-use efficiency improvement for lighting, air conditioning and appliances, diffusion of efficient boilers for various purposes, introduction of energy efficient equipment, and other means for promoting energy saving in households. Some countries may also wish to consider development/improvement of commercial and residential building standards and so on.

   8. Regarding the non-energy sectors, impacts of deforestation on climate change are important, because they include GHG release connected with deforestation and the significant loss of carbon sink capacity after deforestation. More attention should be paid to the causes and impacts of forest fires including the El-NINO phenomena. Projects to prevent forest fires, such as those dealing with early warning systems and to enhance fire fighting capacity, present important options to address climate change.

   9. Afforestation/reforestation offers multiple benefits relating to socio-economic development apart from the benefits of carbon sequestration. The countries of the region may wish to undertake and/or strengthen sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation, for instance, through the use of short or long-rotation forestry projects, forest conservation projects to control unmanaged deforestation and land degradation, and prevention of forest fires.

   10. The countries of the region may also wish to identify cost-effective options in various other sectors, such as industry and transport sectors. Some countries may wish to promote improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency, and other climate friendly technologies, such as those used for building construction.

   11. Specific adaptation strategies in planning and management could include sectors such as water and health, coastal protection, agriculture and forestry, tourism, resettlement and migration, fisheries, and integrated coastal management. This could be achieved by promotion of empirical practices and development of adaptation strategies/technologies for vulnerable coastal regions.

   Development and transfer of technologies

   12. As exemplified by recent introductions of low emission technologies related to energy and non- energy sectors on the market, innovative climate friendly technologies are emerging. To enable easier availability, accessibility and adaptability for such technologies, it seems to be useful (i) to develop a regional technology information network; and (ii) to promote model projects that are replicable. It should, however, be clearly recognized that adaptation of such technologies is often needed to meet particular conditions in respective countries. Such activities should not adversely affect local industries, but strengthen the endogenous capacity in using such technologies.

   13. The countries of the region should pay attention to institutional barriers that prevent widespread use of climate friendly technologies and take actions to deal with them.

   14. Many climate-friendly technologies are owned by the private sector. Active involvement of the private sector in technology transfer is, therefore, essential. The countries of the region may wish to take actions to facilitate the smooth flow of resources and technologies in the private sector through, for instance, provision of incentives. Private sector involvement could be stimulated by innovative environmental legislation.

   15. Some climate-friendly technologies, which may have significant impact on communities, should only be introduced after consultation with those communities about their needs and development priorities.

   Capacity building and public awareness

   16. Capacity building and institutional set up to address climate change are key factors for sustained efforts in developing countries. Capacity building for the identification of technology needs, the assessment of technology options, and successful adaptation of technologies to local conditions are, inter alia, important. Technical and financial assistance, particularly regarding training programs for technology transfer, also needs to be undertaken by developed countries and international/intergovernmental organizations.

   17. More efforts should be devoted to enhance public awareness, training and education among the relevant stakeholders in both developed and developing countries, to facilitate their understanding and support for climate-friendly policies and measures, and to encourage their actions to combat climate change through environmental education, information dissemination, media campaigns, and the strengthening of legal, institutional and administrative measures etc.

   18. Community level participation on actions to address climate change should be encouraged. In this connection, local governments could play a vital role in encouraging community level participation in actions to address climate change. Mass media can also play an important role in raising public awareness.

   

2. REGIONAL COOPERATIVE ACTIONS

   Strengthening of regional forum on climate change

   19. The Asia-Pacific Seminar on Climate Change, which began in 1991, has significantly facilitated the regional efforts in addressing climate change, as well as promoting awareness and exchange of experiences on the issue among the countries of the region. Considering the usefulness of such a forum, the outcome of the Asia-Pacific Seminar should be widely disseminated.

   20. Recognizing the international nature of the Asia-Pacific Seminar and the environmental expertise of the participants, future sessions of the Seminar could provide for analytical presentations and discussions of important issues arising from the UNFCCC meetings. In this context, the Chairperson's Summary of the present and future sessions of the Seminar should be disseminated, with the assistance of the UNFCCC Secretariat, to relevant sessions of subsidiary bodies of UNFCCC and the Conference of the Parties.

   Regional information networking

   21. Based on the discussions at various fora including the previous sessions of the Asia-Pacific Seminar, it is necessary for many countries of the region to improve access to information relating to climate change, which includes administrative as well as institutional aspects, climate-friendly technologies and various potential projects.

   22. Such requirements may be partly achieved by providing more user-friendly access to CC:INFO/Web country web sites and existing relevant Internet web sites by developing a system to create better links to those web sites. This system should be established promptly to ensure better access to various existing information without duplicating efforts and resources. Efforts to enhance existing initiatives such as the preparation of CC:INFO country web sites should also be attempted.

   23. Establishment and strengthening of national technology information centers may be promoted through various means, for instance, by GEF projects and other multilateral and bilateral projects. Further consideration should also be given to the development of a regional technology information center.

   Promotion of research and study projects through APN, IRI and other schemes

   24. The Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) has been playing an increasingly important role in facilitating research and studies on climate change in the region. Since much more research and studies are needed in various fields in this region, activities of APN should further be strengthened, in close cooperation with other scientific and technological bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

   25. Cooperation with the emerging International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate Prediction is encouraged, especially through the IRI Asia/Pacific Center. The potential climate information provided by the IRI regional center could be used to tailor information to regional applications.

   Preparatory consultation on new mechanisms

   26. In the Kyoto Protocol, new mechanisms, namely Joint Implementation among Annex I Parties, Emissions Trading and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) were established. However, many issues were left for further elaboration to operationalize such mechanisms.

   27. To effectively utilize such mechanisms, it is important for the countries in the region to actively investigate how they could participate in CDM, taking into account the progress of the international debate. The ways and means on how to reflect the results of the activities implemented jointly (AIJ) at the pilot phase may also need to be discussed. Appropriate fora should be identified to initiate such discussions at the regional level.

Appendix 2

Proposed Outline and Structure of the Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change (AP NET)

1. Outline of the AP NET

   1. Objectives

   The objectives of the Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change (AP NET) should be to:

   i) facilitate policy dialogue and consultations;
   ii) enhance the access to and usefulness of climate change-related information, in particular, on climate-friendly technologies
   iii) facilitate information exchange concerning climate change-related programs and projects; and
   iv) facilitate education and public awareness on climate change.

   2. Target groups

   The major target groups for the AP NET in terms of types and contents of data should be policy makers and government officials at the initial stage. Other groups such as the scientific and business communities as well as NGOs should be regarded as potential target groups, and be included within the scope of the AP NET in a closer manner in the future. The information contained in the AP NET should be accessible for all those groups.

   3. Major functions

   The major functions of the AP NET should be to:

   i) provide information that is compatible with and complementary to existing networks;
   ii) serve as a clearinghouse to enable easier access to scientific and technological information on climate change;
   iii) serve as web site of those countries and organizations that do not have an Internet web site on climate change provided that information on climate change be submitted by electronic media; and
   iv) support capacity building for developing national information inventories and Internet literacy on climate change.

   4. Modality

   The AP NET should make available various means of information exchange and communication. Considering that use of the Internet is rapidly expanding, that updated information can be easily obtained, and that information exchange is possible on a global level, networking methods should initially be developed mainly on the Internet. In view of the fact that there are countries in the region which cannot connect the Internet now, other methods such as floppy diskette (FD), CD-ROM and newsletters may also be included to the extent possible. Taking into account that the AP NET be developed on the Internet, it should enable easier and user-friendly access to existing relevant web sites. It will consist of two major components:

   i) A gateway web site to enhance accessibility to existing useful information on climate change and to provide information on the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and from relevant organizations via the Internet.
   ii) Individual web sites to promote information exchange of the countries of the region mainly through the format proposed in the CC:INFO/Web.

   5. Management

   The gateway web site will be developed, updated and managed by the Environment Agency of Japan (EAJ) in conjunction with the management of the ECO ASIA NET, which is also developed by EAJ. The individual web sites will be developed, updated and managed by respective countries of the region.

   

2. Structure of the AP NET

   The AP NET will contain two major components, the gateway web site and the individual web sites (see Attachment 1).

   1. Gateway Web Site

   The Top Page of the gateway web site will include initially the following items:

   i) Linkage and interface with CC:INFO/Web sites of individual countries of the region;
   ii) Linkage with selected existing web sites on climate change;
   iii) Information on climate change upon request from the countries of the region and relevant organizations to upload on the gateway web site; and
   iv) Search engine within linked web sites and information uploaded in the gateway web site.

   1.1 Linkage and interface with CC:INFO/Web sites of individual countries of the region

   A click onto this item produces two things: by Country and by Subject

   1.1.1 By Country

   A click onto "by Country" produces the names of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region. When a country is clicked on, the Top Page for that country's CC:INFO/Web site appears.

   1.1.2 By Subject

   A click onto "by Subject" produces the information categories described on the CC:INFO/Web site, with amendments, if necessary. The categories of the information on the CC:INFO/Web are presented in the Attachment 2.

   A click onto these items produces the names of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. If one clicks onto a particular country, there will appear a page carrying relevant information about the subject of that country.

   1.2 Linkage with selected existing web sites on climate change (other than CC:INFO/Web)

   A click onto this item produces three things: by Country, by Organization, and by Environmentally Sound Technologies. These provide easy access to existing useful information on climate change in individual countries, and especially to information of environmentally sound technologies including climate protection.

   1.2.1 By Country

   A click onto "by Country " produces the names of countries. If one clicks onto a specific country, a list of climate change-related sites provided by the main environmental entity of that country other than CC:INFO/Web sites will appear, together with some simple and user-friendly explanations for use. Those explanations will describe the site operator, the content of the information, the date of the most recent update and how to easily access desired information. A click onto a specific site taken from the list will produce the Top Page for that site.

   1.2.2 By Organization

   A click onto "by Organization" produces a list of climate change-related sites provided by international organizations, with some simple and user-friendly explanations for use. Those explanations will describe the site operator, the content of the information, the date of the most recent update and how to easily access desired information. A click onto a specific site taken from the list will produce the Top Page for that site.

   1.2.3 By Environmentally Sound Technologies

   A click onto this item produces a list of the sites regarding "Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs)", together with some simple and user-friendly explanations for use. Those explanations will describe the site operator, the content of the information, the date of the most recent update, as well as advice as to the method of retrieval for climate change- related technologies. A click onto a site will produce the Top Page for that site.

   1.3 Information on climate change, requested to be uploaded on the gateway web site

   A click onto this item produces the names of projects, countries and organizations (international organizations, etc.) . If one click onto a specific country, then the information provided by that country to the gateway web site operator for uploading is outlined by topic. The method of description in a listing will depend upon the content and volume of the information provided. A click onto a topic will produce the information to be provided.

   A click onto the name of organizations or projects produces a listing of the information provided by the pertinent entity, outlined by subject. The method of description in a listing will depend upon the content and volume of the information to be provided. A click onto a subject will produce the information to be provided.

   1.4 Search engine within linked web sites and information uploaded in the gateway web site

   A click onto this item produces a list giving the names of countries in the region, international organizations and sites regarding ESTs, along with space to input key words. Users can conduct searches using "free keyword" retrieval, limiting the subjects for retrieval to one country or a plural number of countries to which the site operator(s) belong(s). Likewise, one can also perform "free keyword" retrieval limiting the search to sites provided by international organizations. Sites which permit "free keyword" searches will be limited to those linked with the gateway web site. The results of a search will be provided via the Internet's URL addresses. A click onto a specific address will produce the pertinent page.

   2. Individual Web Sites

   Individual web sites are expected to provide information in the format recommended in the CC:INFO/Web (presented in the Attachment 2), and to be developed and updated by respective countries. Information other than that listed in the CC:INFO/Web category, or specific information subcategorized within the categories, will be welcomed.

Attachment 1

Structure of the AP NET

Attachment 2

Information Category in the CC:INFO/Web

i) The Convention and other official documents

(1) Text of the Convention
(2) Official documents of the negotiations
(3) Calendar of negotiations
(4) UNEP/IUC Climate Change Fact Sheets for Policy Makers
(5) Other reference materials on the Convention

ii) National communication

(1) Preparations for the national communication
(2) National communication.

iii) National coordination

(1) Introduction to the national climate committee
(2) Composition & structure of the national climate committee
(3) Functions of the national climate committee.

iv) National legislation & policy

(1) National legislation
(2) National policy

v) National resources

(1) Organizations
(2) Individuals
(3) Studies & publications

vi) Activities

(1) Enabling activities
(2) Response measures
(3) Activities implemented jointly
(4) Workshops, seminars & meetings
(5) Transfer of technology.

vii) Others

(1) Announcements
(2) News briefs
(3) National focal point
(4) Related sites
(5) Background information.

-Participants-

-Observers-

-Staff Members-