In the area of environment and sustainable development, the main objectives of UNESCAP are to promote regional and subregional cooperation for sustainable development and to strengthen the national capacity of members and associate members in designing and implementing environment and sustainable development policies and strategies that would enable them to maximize the benefits from globalization.

To attain sustainable development, UNESCAP works with stakeholders to bring the forces that drive economic growth into congruence with the ideals that inspire people towards environmental conservation. UNESCAP seeks to address environmental problems by integrating environmental policies into national economic goals. In addition, UNESCAP promotes partnerships between the public and private sectors, between government and civil society, and develops necessary capacities and skills. It provides the crucial link in these multi-faceted and dynamic development processes between the global and national levels.

UNESCAP envisions a region on a development path that is economically sustainable, environmentally sound and socially equitable. This requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach. With its multisectoral expertise and inter-disciplinary work, UNESCAP is well placed to assist countries in the region to attain the commitments they have made in Johannesburg as well as those contained in the MDGs.

Energy for sustainable development has been recognized as a major concern at the Johannesburg Summit. The secure supply of energy, infrastructure development and financing, technology transfer, sector and market reform, as well as environmental impact mitigation are some of the major energy related issues that need attention.

Access to clean and affordable energy service is an imperative not only for the socio-economic development but also for poverty eradication and the attainment of MDGs. UNESCAP is determined to meet the chllenge of formulating and implementing energy policies towards widening access to energy services for the poor.

Guided by the WSSD Plan of Implementation and other regional consensus initiatives, UNESCAP's energy initiatives focus on the following areas: policies and planning, with emphasis on strategic planning and management; energy efficiency and conservation; and new and renewable sources of energy. More specifically, energy related activities cover the following areas:

• Policy dialogues and trainings on energy for sustainable development to assist developing countries in formulating strategies on a sustainable energy development path. One of the main challenges is how to widen the access to energy services so that the society as a whole can benefit from enhanced social services and opportunities for income generating activities.
  


• Promotions of energy efficiency at both supply and demand sides, particularly in energy intensive sectors of the economy.
  


• Promotions of increased use of renewable energy through adaptation of modern technologies and development of a conducive environment through policy changes. Sharing of R&D results and other information and experiences among the developing countries is facilitated through meetings and electronic information dissemination.

Burgeoning population, impressive economic growth, rapid urbanization, poor sanitation, overuse and system losses have all contributed to water scarcity and poor water quality, leading to water-borne diseases that kills two children every minute in the region. Access to safe drinking water and the severe social and economic impacts of the annual floods continue to be the most important challenges in the water resources sector of the developing countries in the region in their efforts to eradicate poverty and cope with globalization.

The Johannesburg Summit reaffirmed the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water by 2015. In order to achieve this goal, UNESCAP will focus on strategic planning of water resources, integrated water resources management, water conservation and water use efficiency, pro-poor public-private partnerships, and water contamination and water-related disaster reduction. UNESCAP will continue to provide technical assistance and improve human resources capacity of members and associate members through the development of guidelines, manuals and reference materials, as well as training and information exchange opportunities in workshops, seminars and conferences.

UNESCAP also promotes and supports subregional cooperation to sustain the process of capacity building, such as the establishment of the Mekong Committee in 1957 (now the Mekong River Commission), the Typhoon Committee in 1968 and the Panel on Tropical Cyclones in 1971. Efforts made by UNESCAP have been successful not only in sustaining cooperation through sharing information and resources, but also in integrating related water resources management into the socio-economic development process. In the context of a new overall strategy for the 21st century, UNESCAP will focus on capacity building on strategic planning and management of water resources through the development of successful cases at subregional and organizational levels. Countries will benefit significantly from this new approach in fulfilling their commitment to the WSSD Plan of Implementation.

Kitakyushu Network for a Clean Environment - promotes best practices on urban environmental management among urban centres in Asia.

Phnom Penh Regional Platform for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific - Consensus document outlining seven priority areas for action

State of the Environment in Asia and the Pacific 2000 - Comprehensive region-wide analysis of environment and development trends and related policy responses.

A publication entitled "Water Conservation: A guide to Promoting Public Awareness" has been published as a contribution to the International Year of Freshwater in 2003, which is aimed at helping countries in the region to develop public awareness campaigns to improve water use efficiency.

Efforts to deal with water contamination - In response to the public health crisis in Bangladesh and other countries caused by arsenic in drinking water derived from contaminated groundwater, UNESCAP has brought together international and government agencies and experts to address the problem that the entire region is potentially at risk. In close liaison with other organizations, UNESCAP is embarking on a subregional programme to study the major sources of pollution of soils, surface and groundwater and their effect on crops and public health, aimed at acquiring a fuller knowledge of natural, agricultural and urban-industrial sources of contamination and ultimately helping to develop effective regulations to ensure safe water supplies throughout the Greater Mekong Subregion and beyond.