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United Nations Environment Programme

Strengthening ASEAN Member State Policies with Environmental Health Data

Strengthening ASEAN Member State Policies with Environmental Health Data on Costs of Inaction and Co-Benefits

 

Background 

Funded by the United Nations Development Account and implemented by the UNEP Asia and the Pacific Regional Office (UNEP ROAP), the project aims to develop capacities and facilitate South-South cooperation around the use of data and tools to assess co-benefits and costs of inaction on environmental health issues, with a strong focus on air pollution. Through doing so it will support integrated and science-based policy interventions in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and across the ASEAN region.  

Project Objectives 

Across the South-East Asian region, health risks from environment-related causes are growing, due to increasing pollution, health and social inequities and vulnerability to climate change. Tackling these growing risks is not only beneficial for human health but can also bring about significant progress in confronting other development challenges such as climate change. However, to realize this co-benefits dividend there is a need for reliable data on the economic costs of acting – and not acting – to tackle these risks, to underpin cross-sectoral cooperation and policy coordination.  

The 2021-2023 Strengthening ASEAN Member State Policies with Environmental Health Data project will develop national capacities and facilitate South-South cooperation around the use of data and tools to assess co-benefits and costs of inaction on environmental health issues, with a strong focus on air pollution. These actions will support science-based policy planning and more integrated and inclusive policy interventions in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and across the ASEAN region. Through doing so, the project will help foster more ambitious action and more positive narratives around solving environmental health risks, climate change and building back better after COVID-19. 

Project Activities 

At the national level, the project will develop assessments for Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand that provide new data on co-benefits and costs of inaction on tackling air pollution​. The assessments will be informed by stakeholder consultations to strengthen ownership and help policymakers develop cost-effective measures under existing budgets and planning processes. National workshops will be held in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand to share the effective use of tools to assess costs and co-benefits and help foster more positive narratives and more ambitious action on environmental health priorities, climate change and building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

At the regional level, the project will develop knowledge products and knowledge-sharing events to raise awareness amongst policy- and decision-makers on the use of environmental health data and tools. This will include an ASEAN toolkit that gives practical steps for using data tools to assess co-benefits and cost of inaction to maximize synergies, minimize trade-offs and find win-win policy measures that address multiple SDG challenges. The project will also hold events to support ASEAN-level dialogue and knowledge-sharing - including in support of the Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Health and Environment - to foster regional commitment to science-based, multisectoral policy practice to address the environment and health SDG targets together. 

Project partners 

Knowledge products

For more information, please contact: Mushtaq Memon memon@un.org and Kaye Patdu mariakatherina.patdu@un.org

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