The 3rd Asia Pacific Roundtable on Cleaner Production (APRCP) was successfully held in Manila February 27 to March 1, 2001. Of the 355 participants representing 28 countries, 81 percent came from Asia, and the rest from Australia, Europe, and the U.S.

The opening session of the conference was attended by high government officials from various Asian and European countries, ADB and US-AEP officials, and members of the APRCP Board of Directors. Another highlight of the conference was a dinner hosted by the First Gentleman at the presidential palace, attended by 280 people, including members of the diplomatic community.

A mix of delegates from industry, government, academe, multilateral agencies, and NGOs, involved in cleaner production programs around the globe, presented papers during the technical sessions. Presentations focused on environmental management systems, the Global Reporting Initiative, eco-industrial development, life-cycle assessment, cleaner production and sustainable development, and technology transfer. Plant visits were conducted to four US-AEP partners� facilities: Ford Motor Company Philippines, San Miguel Corporation, Coca Cola, and Amkor Annam.

US-AEP provided assistance to APRCP to help establish a Secretariat, and for organizing and funding the conference. Additional US-AEP funding funding, through an EEP grant, enabled 16 Asian and American delegates to attend the conference. Mr. Richard Sheppard, Deputy Director of US-AEP, headed the US-AEP delegation and delivered one of the opening speeches. US-AEP�s Team Philippines actively participated as chair, co-chair and rapporteurs of technical sessions and handled most of the logistical arrangements for the conference and the dinner at the presidential palace.

Other sponsors of this year�s roundtable were the Asian Development Bank, United Nations Environment Programme, CDG Foundation for International Training and Development, Environment Australia, NIKE, Regional Initiative for Environmental Technology, Canadian International Development Agency, and several local business enterprises.

Indonesia will host the 4th APRCP conference in 2003.

The first State Environmental Initiative project between the Philippines and Minnesota recently completed its final activities.

Eight project partners from the Philippines traveled to Minnesota to visit waste disposal facilities, attend the 2001 Waste Conference, and attend an all-day waste management training, discussing discussion necessary steps to develop an integrated waste management facility in Laguna Province. The Council of State Governments approved the original project in 1996 and awarded additional bridge funding last year. The main objective was developing and demonstrating a waste management plan for the 2nd District of Laguna in the Philippines, to replace the district�s open dumps with a sanitary landfill, and recycling and composting systems. The plan was completed in 1997 followed by a community clean-up drive resulting in cleaner streets and greater public awareness of solid waste issues. Agreements to work together and form joint ventures and partnerships were forged between the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Minnesota companies, and the congressman and mayors in the district. MPCA also worked with the University of the Philippines in Los Ba�os to alter its chemical storage system and handling of chemical products.

US-AEP�s Urban Infrastructure rep in Ahmedabad, India, P.U. Asnani has provided support and assistance for earthquake relief and recovery in the Indian State of Gujarat. 17,000 lives were lost, and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged in 350 villages and cities by the earthquake, creating a need for immediate and long-term assistance to the region.

Mr. Asnani is involved in assistance measures and has participated in top-level meetings of the state government, which recently announced a relief package for those who�s houses have collapsed or are damaged in varying degrees. Mr. Asnani�s office, The Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), has been designated as a nodal agency for the assessment and categorization of damage to the properties. He is in charge of organizing activities at CEPT, utilizing the services of expert structural engineers drawn from across India. He is also working to establish a center of excellence to train structural, construction, municipal, and government engineers, in restoring and retrofitting houses damaged by the earthquake. A disaster management program is also being prepared and building bylaws are being modified to conform to seismic zone requirements. Mr. Asnani is helping to coordinate these activities, and we all wish him success.

US-AEP and the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) will be active at the upcoming Envex 2001 event, June 11 to 14, in Korea. Envex, sponsored by the Korean government and research institutes is the primary venue for displaying a wide range of environmental technologies and services, from water management to recycling and renewable energy, to Korean consumers, meeting stricter standards.

Two important events will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, from May 4 to 11.

The Mayor�s Asia Pacific Environment Summit (MAPES) runs from May 4 to 6, bringing leaders and decision makers from across the Pacific region together to discuss common problems, share experiences, and find solutions to urban environmental problems. See the MAPES website,  www.environmentalsummit.com, for more information.

Lisa Lumbao, Field Coordinator extraordinaire, in US-AEP�s Manila office, is the proud mother of a new baby girl, Sophia Margaret, born 8:12am, March 19, 2001. She weighed 5 lbs 13 ozs, and "has a lot of black hair and is beautiful!". Mom, baby, and dad are all doing fine. Congratulations!

Policy Forum Update

The next US-AEP Policy Forum will be on Tuesday, April 3rd. Mr. Jefferson Seabright, Vice-President of Policy Planning at Texaco, who reports directly to the Chairman, will discuss public policy and corporate governance. The meeting will be in the US- AEP Office at 1720 Eye Street, NW, Suite 700, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Brenda Bateman at (202) 835- 0333, ext. 104 or bbateman@usaep.org.

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