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Asia-Pacific Initiative: Leadership for Environment and Development LEAD Japan Program
[last updated December 30, 2003 12:49 PM]
Shortcuts:
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General Information
Partnership website(s) |
Expected TimeframeJuly 2002 - March 2006 |
Partners
| Governments:
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Major Groups:
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| UN System:
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Other intergovernmental organizations:
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Other:
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Thematic Focus
Primary Themes:
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Secondary Themes:
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Geographic Coverage
Geographic Scope: Regional
Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented: Japan, Thailand |
National Focal Points
At present, no information is available as to whether the partnership has made contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the relevant countries.
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Goals and Objectives
Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
LEAD Japan, in association with a consortium of partner institutions, is proposing to instigate a range of activities in the Asia-Pacific Region (and in the South-East Asia, in particular) in order to promote collaborative and policy-oriented research, education and capacity development.
The proposed initiative will encourage extensive cooperation between universities and research institutions in the region with support from diverse funding sources including foundations, international financial organizations and overseas-aid agencies. The focus of these collaborative efforts will encompass issues related to environmental sustainability and multi-level governance (i.e., fostering stronger links between regional, national and local manifestations of governance).
The main objectives of the partnership/initiative include 3 pillars including:
(1) a joint masters degree programme to be developed through a coalition of universities in Asia and Pacific, with a strong online education dimension;
(2) joint research projects with a strong policy orientation to be supported by participating universities, research institutions, NGOs, and international organizations; and
(3) next generation broadcasting to disseminate the outcomes of the joint masters degree programme and joint research projects.
The proposed initiative will encourage extensive cooperation between universities and research institutions in the region with support from diverse funding sources including foundations, international financial organizations and overseas-aid agencies. The focus of these collaborative efforts will encompass issues related to environmental sustainability and multi-level governance (i.e., fostering stronger links between regional, national and local manifestations of governance).
The main objectives of the partnership/initiative include 3 pillars including:
(1) a joint masters degree programme to be developed through a coalition of universities in Asia and Pacific, with a strong online education dimension;
(2) joint research projects with a strong policy orientation to be supported by participating universities, research institutions, NGOs, and international organizations; and
(3) next generation broadcasting to disseminate the outcomes of the joint masters degree programme and joint research projects.
Targets and Progress
Partnership targetsTangible targets thus include (1) development of joint programs with focus on sustainability issue, (2) environmental monitoring and policy formulation platform based on GIS and simulation model, and (3) region-wide network of next generation broadcasting (live and on-demand) for information dissemination and promotion of public awareness. Social, cultural, and historical dimension of environmental change will be emphasized. Participants should thus include school children as well as senior citizens.
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Progress against targetsThe initial phase of the Asia Pacific Initiative has started in July 2002, with the formulation of loose consortium of participating members. Minimum level of financial support has been secured through 2005, during which time additional support will be sought. It is expected that the partnership targets will be achieved during the initial 4 year period. Expanded coverage will be subject to the proof of workability and effectiveness of the proposed scheme as well as the availability of additional funcing.
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Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
- Education/building awareness
- Institutional strengthening, including local participation
- Technology transfer/exchange
Building upon the training schemes that already in place, and as LEAD Japan continues to evolve, three main activities are envisaged for the region:
(1) Promotion of curriculum development, distance learning module development, and joint academic programmes and joint degrees between institutions in the region.
(2) Promotion of joint research activities, formulation of policy relevant research outputs.
(3) Promotion of public awareness on the importance of attaining sustainable development through next generation broadcasting (live and on-demand) linking commentary, interviews, videos, and streaming.
The core activities include the following:
(1) A joint Masters Degree Programme
(2) Joint research projects with a strong policy analysis
(3) A series of web-casts
UNU, Keio, AIT, and NSU will initially be the cores of activities, which will be expanded to include larger areas in the region. Joint research projects will be achieved through GIS that covers the entire Asia Pacific region. This will be an integral part of the global research network. Also, economy-energy-environment simulation model covering 60 regions/countries of the global community will be able to provide simulation for the year 2010 and beyond.
These tools will be made available to the participating institutions when appropriate financial resources are made available. Next generation broadcasting, will be based on the latest technological development as well as diversified contents provided by the participating organizations throughout Asia Pacific. Necessary technology and skills will be transferred through participatory process. It is also intended to organize a workshop to facilitate technology transfer in contents development, software utilization, and system configuration.
Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
Education for Sustainable Development
Capacity-Building for Sustainable Development
Capacity-Building for Sustainable Development
Coordination and Implementation
Coordination Mechanism of the PartnershipOriginally, Asia Pacific Initiative enlisted among its partners LEAD International and LEAD regional programs, United Nations University, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Research Institute for Subtropics (RIS), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), in addition to a host of laboratories at Keio University. There exists ¿General Agreement of Cooperation¿ between the United Nations University and Keio; IGES is treating LEAD as part of its own activity; RIS accepted a professor from Keio in its Council; and AIT in its close collaboration with the UNU agreed to be the core site in South-East Asia.
UNU, IGES, and RIS organized LEAD national/regional sessions during the past year and the collaboration in this respect will continue into 2003. A joint session will be organized at AIT in 2003 participated by LEAD programs in Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, Pakistan and possibly Indonesia, too). Collaboration with UNU has been strengthened in addition by opening of Media Studio. Initially, equipment was supplied by Keio and the space provided by UNU. This will provide a linkage with business world ranging from communication equipment and video production equipment, software houses, and broadcasting companies. RIS continued its strong support for the Geo-Informatics Lab. at Keio, providing an open forum in environmental monitoring field in Asia Pacific. The venue is supported by Okinawa Prefectural Government. Financial support is also provided Kendanren Nature Conservancy Fund for 3-year period from 2001 through 2003. Asia Pacific university ties has expended to include, in addition to AIT mentioned above, University of Hawaii, Griffith University, National University of Singapore, Tsinghua Universsity, Fuzhou University, National Taiwan University, Chungbuk National University, and Teri School of Advanced Studies, among others. The government support for the Asia Pacific Initiative has been considerably strengthened, including research contract from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and strategic consultation with the Ministry of Environment as to the future of the Asia Pacific Initiative. Among international organizations, Keio University and its collaborating institutions work closely with IEA, IPCC, and UNFCCC on various occasions in the global climate change issue. On environment and development fields, they collaborate with UNDP and UNEP. LEAD Japan has entered into collaboration with the Virtual Globe Project organized by the Global Environmental Action (GEA) that is affiliated with IGES, and Pacific Island Digital Opportunity (PIDO). LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) Japan Program is jointly operated through collaboration of UNU, IGES, JICA, RIS, Keio University, and others. In addition to LEADJapan, LEAD Programs exist in Brazil, Canada, China, CIS, Francophone Africa, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Southern Africa, and USA. LEAD International (UK) coordinates the activities globally. LEAD Japan organized a regional meeting in Okinawa in March 2002 participated by LEAD India and Pakistan. LEAD China plans to organize a regional meeting joined by Indonesia and Japan in 2003. LEAD Japan's steering committee, consisting of representatives of the UNU, IGES, JICA, and RIS, among others, meets regularly for exchange of opinions as well for decision making. This framework will be expanded in order to reflect the new membership and to meet the requirement of the Asia Pacific Initiative. The Asia Pacific Initiative will maintain a web-site in conjunction with its internet broadcasting (life and on-demand) where current status will be announced and the contents assets will be archived for outside review. Various workshops to be organized in the implementation phase of the initiative will also function as a channel for exchanging views. |
Implementation Mechanism of the PartnershipSince the Asia Pacific Initiative will be implemented by diverse institutions in the region, and its issue orientation is achieved through trans-disciplinary collaboration, it is expected to provide an open platform on the issues surrounding environment and development. The tantalizing prospect of reorganizing the contemporary world order for the sake of sustainable development is an exciting challenge for today's younger generations. Asia Pacific is quite diverse and remains silent (or unheard) on many issues related to the reform of the global system. To begin with, the activities in the South-East Asia, while complementing those initiated in Japan and China, will form part of a trilateral process of intellectual exchange between Asia, North America and Europe.
Three layers of activities, including joint programs, policy formulation, and next generation broadcasting, each focusing on the environment and development issue, will organize working groups for program development and monitoring. |
Resources
Funding Currently AvailableAmount in US$: 0
Source(s): Foundations / charities
Mid-career training activities of LEAD Japan Program, which traditionally was the core activities, has been supported by Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Toyota Motors/Toyota Foundation, but both funding organizations are withdrawing from this line of activities. LEAD Japan is also supported by the Keidanren Nature Conservancy Fund. |
Non-financial resources availableType(s):
Source(s):
The Asia Pacific Initiative will be increasingly supported by in-kind support by collaborating institutions and research fund obtained by Keio University. The latter include funding through Large Scale Research Support by Keio for joint curriculum development and next-generation broadcasting in Asia Pacific, and COE Program by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. |
Funding SoughtRequired Amount in US$: not specified
Source(s) already approached: Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) intends to shift its support to Asia Pacific Initiative starting 2004 and details are being worked out. Keidanren Nature Conservancy Fund is expected to continue financial support to the GIS field work in Okinawa for Asian NGOs for the third and the final year in 2003.
It is expected that the Virtual Globe Project by GEA will financially support video contents development in environmental fields in collaboration with NGOs throughout Asia Pacific. The results will be made available through the web site maintained by the GEA. It is envisaged that the Asia Pacific Initiative would be financially supported by regionally based foundations and foreign aid organizations in line with their common objectives, reflecting their individual founding goals and promoting shared ownership and support for part of the entire scheme. |
Non-financial resources soughtRequirement(s):
Source(s) approached and details:
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Additional Information
Additional Relevant Information
During the first 1/2 year of inception, Asia Pacific Initiative: Leadership for Environment and Development was able to gather momentum as reported below.
Joint degree programme and capacity building: Uno Laboratory that hosts the LEAD Japan Program has obtained research grant from Keio University entitled “Formation of Joint Curriculum and Next Generation Broadcasting Network by Multi-Stakeholders in Asia and Pacific”. The project will continue for two years covering 2003 and 2004. The purpose of the project is to realize a network for research and education based on the top-level communication technology and contents to be made available by participating organizations. The focus will be placed on sustainable development, environment and development issues, with the intention to reveal conflict of interest as well as common policy agenda in the vast and diversified Asia Pacific region. E-learning tools will be emphasized in order to facilitate accumulation of intellectual assets and mutual use of them for research and education. Next generation broadcasting will be initiated as a tool for linking the centers of activities and a tool for achieving outreach to the neighboring regions. Field survey is indispensable in environment and development spheres: attempts will be made to open up the research fields for mutual use by partner universities and research institutions. The participants to this program will include researchers from Keio University, Kyoto University, United Nations University, Research Institute for Subtropics (RIS)(Okinawa), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Hawaii, Peacesat (Hawaii), Tsinghua University, TATA Energy Research Institute (TERI), Teri School of Advanced Studies, and LEAD programs in China, India, Japan, and Pakistan.
Program Directors from LEAD programs in China, India, and Pakistan visited Okinawa in November 2002 on the invitation of LEAD Japan and discussed future collaboration for a 4 year period from 2003 to 2006. LEAD member programs agree to open their national training to associates and fellows from other member programs. Participating member programs agree to hold a joint session in the fall of 2003 at AIT, focusing on (a) mega cities and rural community development, (b) cross border natural resource management, (c) water resource management, (d) energy and sustainability. The member programs will reach out to IGES, UNU, AIT and other premier institutions in the region so that LEAD is able to benefit from their ongoing activities and existing expertise. Participating member programs will meet periodically to review progress and to identify further areas for mutual support and cooperation. Initially this agreement is between four member programs in China, India, Japan and Pakistan but it will be open to LEAD Indonesia and CIS from the Asia Pacific Region.
Joint research projects:
Keio University Geo-Informatics Laboratory, Research Institute for Subtropics, and LEAD Japan Program jointly held “Expert Meeting on the Development of a Field-Survey and Geo-Informatics Training Module for Asian NGOs focused on Conservation of Nature in Subtropics” in November 2002 in Okinawa. There were more than 20 GIS experts and users from UNEP, International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), UNU Institute of Advanced Studies, as well as relevant government- and university-affiliated laboratories from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Hawaii. LEAD programs from China, India, and Pakistan also participated. This was a follow-up of a LEAD training session involving programs from India, Pakistan, and Japan organized in Okinawa in February 2002 under similar title. Okinawa island is located in subtropics and preserves abundant natural assets in the seas, coastal zones, and lands and at the same time rapidly urbanizing and becoming a major tourist attraction. At the same time, there is a complex issue of relocating military base from the congested area to a less inhabited but more environmentally valuable site. Due to its favorable location for satellite communication to cover the entire South-East Asia and China, Okinawa is the home for many GIS facilities. Keio University Geo-Informatics Laboratory has its research fields in Okinawa and maintains close ties with relevant organizations in the prefecture. The Ministry of Environment of the Japanese Government, with whom Keio University and LEAD Japan Program maintain collaborative ties, has its environment conservation fields in Yanbaru forest and on the surrounding islands. The activities included field survey in the Yanbaru area, application of GIS and remote sensing technologies, and development of training module for conservation of nature in subtropics.
Uno Laboratory that hosts the LEAD Japan Program has a research contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japanese Government entitled “Research on the Mitigation Activities with Global Participation”. As the international negotiation in an effort to arrest global climate change enters the 2nd phase, the next challenge is to include major developing countries in the implementation of warming gas reduction. The project aims at providing an open platform for policy discussion among various stakeholders. The study will be based on empirical statistical data mainly compiled by international organizations and policy scenarios drawn up through international negotiation process. The focus will be placed on projection of global warming gas emissions (particularly CO2 from fossil fuel burning), international repercussions due to mitigation costs, etc., construction of appropriate quantitative measures for establishing common rules with global participation, and evaluation of policy options. As the basis of the research, a simulation model developed by Uno Lab. COMPASS (COprehensive Mdel for Policy ASSessment) will be utilized that covers 60 countries/regions with 36 sector disaggregation.
This line of activities for Keio University and LEAD Japan Program include the following.
Participation in “Informal Meeting on Further Actions against Climate Change” as observers. The meeting was organized by the Foreign Ministry and took place in Tokyo in July 2002 discussed the international actions following the COP7 Marrakesh Accord and leading to COP8 in New Delhi.
Participation in WSSD in Johannesburg that took place in August 2002 for presentation of Type 2 Partnership Initiatives.
Participation in Annex I Expert Group Meeting organized at the IEA in September 2002. This was a venue where COP7 was reviewed and expectations for COP8 was expressed in terms of EIT support, emissions trading, long-term climate policy issues, among others.
Participation in Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2003 planned by TERI in February 2003. LEAD Japan will discuss “Environment, Health and Education: Solution in a Knowledge Economy”.
Uno Lab. will be a member of a meeting entitled “The Role of Analysis in Climate Policy” to be held in Canberra in May, 2003 and will present the methodology, simulation results, and policy use of its model COMPASS. This meeting is organized by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics in collaboration with the Stanford Modelling Forum among others and participated by IPCC and IEA.
Next generation broadcasting:
Keio University LEAD Japan Program and the United Nations University have worked closely together to establish a studio for next generation broadcasting in order to promote public awareness in the broad area of environment, development, and global governance issues. Keio side provided equipment for the studio including live- and post-production system and auxiliary equipment whereas the UNU provided the space. UNU and Keio will jointly organize research projects around the newly established Media Studio, collaborating with other relevant research institutions in Asia-Pacific as well as technologically advanced business firms. Next generation broadcasting is characterized by interactive use of accumulated intellectual products (e-learning tools, videos, simulation model, and database). It is envisaged that existing optical fiber network for cable TV will be utilized along with internet providing global connectivity to wider audience including children and senior citizens. Thus, the project aims at setting new standards, prototyping next generation media studio as well as easy and inexpensive access to users at home. The project will provide the information channel among core sites in Asia Pacific which in turn will function as the hub for neighboring regions. It is intended to build capacities in the developing world institutions, bridging the digital divide. It will create new partnerships between business, universities, NGOs, governments, and international agencies.
The United Nations University collaborating with the Government of Japan organized the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) side events at UN House in January 2003. Keio University LEAD Program supported activities that took place at the Media Studio. Its main role has been to secure technological support from private sector participants ranging from video production equipment and software to internet broadcasting, covering the entire process from one end to the other. An experiment was carried out obtaining live contents from the video production system, providing real-time encoding in MPEG 4 for broadcasting (IP broadcasting over telephone lines), and sending TV programs to (hypothetical) homes where audience were able to have access to the programs interactively (video on demand, or VOD). UNU-Keio collaboration is expected to continue, leading to the World Summit on the Information Society to take place in two parts in 2003 (in Geneva) and 2005 (Tunis). It will provide an important opportunity for all stakeholders to develop a better understanding of potential implication of the Information Society for the entire globe.
Activities of Uno Lab. along this line include Center of Excellence Program supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture of the Japanese Government for five years starting in 2002. The COE project, entitled “Next Generation Media: Intellectual Social Infrastructure” is organized by the SFC Research Institute and participated by about 30 experts under its umbrella in computer science, knowledge base, and IT application fields. Uno Lab. is proposing a subtopic “Next Generation Internet Broadcasting and Evolution of Mass Media”. Focusing on technological breakthrough from contents production (nonlinear video production and editing system to be established at the core sites, and mobile production system to be utilized in field work) to interactive on-demand broadcasting (internet and cable TV), the project aspires to provide a prototype in the next generation broadcasting which will be the tools for information gathering and dissemination related to joint programs and policy oriented research mentioned above.
Other information:
The focus of these collaborative efforts will encompass issues related to environmental sustainability and multi-level governance (i.e., fostering stronger links between regional, national and local manifestations of governance).
The LEAD International Programme is headquartered in London, and its Asia Pacific branches can be found in Japan, China, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. The proposed Asia Pacific Initiative corresponds closely with the original aim to expand LEAD Japan's activities so as to enhance joint academic programmes in universities across the region as well as to provide mid-career training to Asian professionals interested in environment and development.
LEAD Japan, after five years of operation, has successfully grown into an open platform that encourages participation from institutions located in Japan engaged in research and policy formulation in the environment and development spheres. LEAD Japan is jointly supported by, among others, laboratories at Keio University (host for the programme), the United Nations University (UNU) and its Institute of Advanced Studies, other UN organizations, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Environment, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Research Institute for Subtropics (RIS) in Okinawa. Thus, LEAD Japan is well placed to function as an open platform for universities, research institutions, NGOs, and foreign aid organizations in formulating programmes to support intellectual exchange in the Asia Pacific region.
The contents modules available at Keio University, the host institute for the LEAD Japan Program, include the following:
Economy-Energy-Environment Database and Simulation Model COMPASS (Uno Laboratory)
Gaming and simulation of regional development and impacts on environment PANGAEA (Kaji Laboratory)
Geographic Information System (GIS) (Fukui Geo-Informatics Laboratory)
Mega City Project (Tsukagoshi Laboratory)
Subtropics survey fields in Okinawa
Joint degree programme and capacity building: Uno Laboratory that hosts the LEAD Japan Program has obtained research grant from Keio University entitled “Formation of Joint Curriculum and Next Generation Broadcasting Network by Multi-Stakeholders in Asia and Pacific”. The project will continue for two years covering 2003 and 2004. The purpose of the project is to realize a network for research and education based on the top-level communication technology and contents to be made available by participating organizations. The focus will be placed on sustainable development, environment and development issues, with the intention to reveal conflict of interest as well as common policy agenda in the vast and diversified Asia Pacific region. E-learning tools will be emphasized in order to facilitate accumulation of intellectual assets and mutual use of them for research and education. Next generation broadcasting will be initiated as a tool for linking the centers of activities and a tool for achieving outreach to the neighboring regions. Field survey is indispensable in environment and development spheres: attempts will be made to open up the research fields for mutual use by partner universities and research institutions. The participants to this program will include researchers from Keio University, Kyoto University, United Nations University, Research Institute for Subtropics (RIS)(Okinawa), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Hawaii, Peacesat (Hawaii), Tsinghua University, TATA Energy Research Institute (TERI), Teri School of Advanced Studies, and LEAD programs in China, India, Japan, and Pakistan.
Program Directors from LEAD programs in China, India, and Pakistan visited Okinawa in November 2002 on the invitation of LEAD Japan and discussed future collaboration for a 4 year period from 2003 to 2006. LEAD member programs agree to open their national training to associates and fellows from other member programs. Participating member programs agree to hold a joint session in the fall of 2003 at AIT, focusing on (a) mega cities and rural community development, (b) cross border natural resource management, (c) water resource management, (d) energy and sustainability. The member programs will reach out to IGES, UNU, AIT and other premier institutions in the region so that LEAD is able to benefit from their ongoing activities and existing expertise. Participating member programs will meet periodically to review progress and to identify further areas for mutual support and cooperation. Initially this agreement is between four member programs in China, India, Japan and Pakistan but it will be open to LEAD Indonesia and CIS from the Asia Pacific Region.
Joint research projects:
Keio University Geo-Informatics Laboratory, Research Institute for Subtropics, and LEAD Japan Program jointly held “Expert Meeting on the Development of a Field-Survey and Geo-Informatics Training Module for Asian NGOs focused on Conservation of Nature in Subtropics” in November 2002 in Okinawa. There were more than 20 GIS experts and users from UNEP, International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), UNU Institute of Advanced Studies, as well as relevant government- and university-affiliated laboratories from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Hawaii. LEAD programs from China, India, and Pakistan also participated. This was a follow-up of a LEAD training session involving programs from India, Pakistan, and Japan organized in Okinawa in February 2002 under similar title. Okinawa island is located in subtropics and preserves abundant natural assets in the seas, coastal zones, and lands and at the same time rapidly urbanizing and becoming a major tourist attraction. At the same time, there is a complex issue of relocating military base from the congested area to a less inhabited but more environmentally valuable site. Due to its favorable location for satellite communication to cover the entire South-East Asia and China, Okinawa is the home for many GIS facilities. Keio University Geo-Informatics Laboratory has its research fields in Okinawa and maintains close ties with relevant organizations in the prefecture. The Ministry of Environment of the Japanese Government, with whom Keio University and LEAD Japan Program maintain collaborative ties, has its environment conservation fields in Yanbaru forest and on the surrounding islands. The activities included field survey in the Yanbaru area, application of GIS and remote sensing technologies, and development of training module for conservation of nature in subtropics.
Uno Laboratory that hosts the LEAD Japan Program has a research contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japanese Government entitled “Research on the Mitigation Activities with Global Participation”. As the international negotiation in an effort to arrest global climate change enters the 2nd phase, the next challenge is to include major developing countries in the implementation of warming gas reduction. The project aims at providing an open platform for policy discussion among various stakeholders. The study will be based on empirical statistical data mainly compiled by international organizations and policy scenarios drawn up through international negotiation process. The focus will be placed on projection of global warming gas emissions (particularly CO2 from fossil fuel burning), international repercussions due to mitigation costs, etc., construction of appropriate quantitative measures for establishing common rules with global participation, and evaluation of policy options. As the basis of the research, a simulation model developed by Uno Lab. COMPASS (COprehensive Mdel for Policy ASSessment) will be utilized that covers 60 countries/regions with 36 sector disaggregation.
This line of activities for Keio University and LEAD Japan Program include the following.
Participation in “Informal Meeting on Further Actions against Climate Change” as observers. The meeting was organized by the Foreign Ministry and took place in Tokyo in July 2002 discussed the international actions following the COP7 Marrakesh Accord and leading to COP8 in New Delhi.
Participation in WSSD in Johannesburg that took place in August 2002 for presentation of Type 2 Partnership Initiatives.
Participation in Annex I Expert Group Meeting organized at the IEA in September 2002. This was a venue where COP7 was reviewed and expectations for COP8 was expressed in terms of EIT support, emissions trading, long-term climate policy issues, among others.
Participation in Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2003 planned by TERI in February 2003. LEAD Japan will discuss “Environment, Health and Education: Solution in a Knowledge Economy”.
Uno Lab. will be a member of a meeting entitled “The Role of Analysis in Climate Policy” to be held in Canberra in May, 2003 and will present the methodology, simulation results, and policy use of its model COMPASS. This meeting is organized by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics in collaboration with the Stanford Modelling Forum among others and participated by IPCC and IEA.
Next generation broadcasting:
Keio University LEAD Japan Program and the United Nations University have worked closely together to establish a studio for next generation broadcasting in order to promote public awareness in the broad area of environment, development, and global governance issues. Keio side provided equipment for the studio including live- and post-production system and auxiliary equipment whereas the UNU provided the space. UNU and Keio will jointly organize research projects around the newly established Media Studio, collaborating with other relevant research institutions in Asia-Pacific as well as technologically advanced business firms. Next generation broadcasting is characterized by interactive use of accumulated intellectual products (e-learning tools, videos, simulation model, and database). It is envisaged that existing optical fiber network for cable TV will be utilized along with internet providing global connectivity to wider audience including children and senior citizens. Thus, the project aims at setting new standards, prototyping next generation media studio as well as easy and inexpensive access to users at home. The project will provide the information channel among core sites in Asia Pacific which in turn will function as the hub for neighboring regions. It is intended to build capacities in the developing world institutions, bridging the digital divide. It will create new partnerships between business, universities, NGOs, governments, and international agencies.
The United Nations University collaborating with the Government of Japan organized the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) side events at UN House in January 2003. Keio University LEAD Program supported activities that took place at the Media Studio. Its main role has been to secure technological support from private sector participants ranging from video production equipment and software to internet broadcasting, covering the entire process from one end to the other. An experiment was carried out obtaining live contents from the video production system, providing real-time encoding in MPEG 4 for broadcasting (IP broadcasting over telephone lines), and sending TV programs to (hypothetical) homes where audience were able to have access to the programs interactively (video on demand, or VOD). UNU-Keio collaboration is expected to continue, leading to the World Summit on the Information Society to take place in two parts in 2003 (in Geneva) and 2005 (Tunis). It will provide an important opportunity for all stakeholders to develop a better understanding of potential implication of the Information Society for the entire globe.
Activities of Uno Lab. along this line include Center of Excellence Program supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture of the Japanese Government for five years starting in 2002. The COE project, entitled “Next Generation Media: Intellectual Social Infrastructure” is organized by the SFC Research Institute and participated by about 30 experts under its umbrella in computer science, knowledge base, and IT application fields. Uno Lab. is proposing a subtopic “Next Generation Internet Broadcasting and Evolution of Mass Media”. Focusing on technological breakthrough from contents production (nonlinear video production and editing system to be established at the core sites, and mobile production system to be utilized in field work) to interactive on-demand broadcasting (internet and cable TV), the project aspires to provide a prototype in the next generation broadcasting which will be the tools for information gathering and dissemination related to joint programs and policy oriented research mentioned above.
Other information:
The focus of these collaborative efforts will encompass issues related to environmental sustainability and multi-level governance (i.e., fostering stronger links between regional, national and local manifestations of governance).
The LEAD International Programme is headquartered in London, and its Asia Pacific branches can be found in Japan, China, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. The proposed Asia Pacific Initiative corresponds closely with the original aim to expand LEAD Japan's activities so as to enhance joint academic programmes in universities across the region as well as to provide mid-career training to Asian professionals interested in environment and development.
LEAD Japan, after five years of operation, has successfully grown into an open platform that encourages participation from institutions located in Japan engaged in research and policy formulation in the environment and development spheres. LEAD Japan is jointly supported by, among others, laboratories at Keio University (host for the programme), the United Nations University (UNU) and its Institute of Advanced Studies, other UN organizations, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Environment, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Research Institute for Subtropics (RIS) in Okinawa. Thus, LEAD Japan is well placed to function as an open platform for universities, research institutions, NGOs, and foreign aid organizations in formulating programmes to support intellectual exchange in the Asia Pacific region.
The contents modules available at Keio University, the host institute for the LEAD Japan Program, include the following:
Economy-Energy-Environment Database and Simulation Model COMPASS (Uno Laboratory)
Gaming and simulation of regional development and impacts on environment PANGAEA (Kaji Laboratory)
Geographic Information System (GIS) (Fukui Geo-Informatics Laboratory)
Mega City Project (Tsukagoshi Laboratory)
Subtropics survey fields in Okinawa