Partnership Launched to Create '3R' Knowledge Hub in Bangkok

BANGKOK, THAILAND - ADB, AIT, UNEP, and UNESCAP are jointly establishing a knowledge hub at Bangkok's Asian Institute of Technology with support from the UNEP Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP RRC.AP) on "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" (3R).

Signing a Letter of Intent today at AIT were Bindu Lohani, Director General of ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department; Said Irandoust, President of AIT; Surendra Shrestha, Director of UNEP RRC.AP; and Rae Kwon Chung, Director of UNESCAP’s Environment and Sustainable Development Division.

The knowledge hub will function as a think tank on technology, good practices, policy strategy and management, and issues related to 3R, which promotes sustainable production and consumption of limited natural resources, and improved economic and environmental efficiency.

Among the major functions of the 3R knowledge hub, it will

• Undertake research and disseminate new concepts on 3R to the region's developing countries and other stakeholders;

• Promote sharing of information on development related topics and collaborations in providing new and constantly updated content on 3R throughout the region;

• Build research capacity to create knowledge in the area of 3R;

• Liaise with academic, research, and scientific and technical institutions, the private sector, and civil society;

• Devise and disseminate new information products on 3R, including periodicals, website and newsletters, workshops, and training courses.

3R is a major focus of AIT, a postgraduate institution with a track record stretching over four decades. Its expertise and experience encompasses solid waste (municipal, industrial and hazardous), water, energy, electronic, and construction materials, dealing with technical and management aspects.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s RRC.AP was established in 1989 under UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment to encompass activities on capacity building and servicing, data management, and assessment and reporting. It has strong linkages with government and civil society groups in the region to collect and disseminate 3R information, policy strategy, management, and good practices.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific actively promotes environmentally sustainable economic growth or "Green Growth," addressing not just the pure environmental agenda, but also broader policy concerns regarding integration of environment and socioeconomic development objectives. UNESCAP has firm linkage with economic and social sectors in the region so that it offers added value by collecting and disseminating 3R information through its network.

ADB, a major development institution dedicated to poverty reduction in the Asia and Pacific region, is supporting several knowledge hubs in the region, through regional grant assistance. It has this year signed agreements to establish a hub on clean energy at India’s Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and one on public finance at the Asia Institute of Management in Manila.

For further details, please contact:

ADB
Mr. Takashi Ohmura,
Tel: +63-2-632-5630
Email: tohmura@adb.org

UNEP
Ms. Yuwaree In-na,
Tel: +66-2-288-2601
Email: in-na@un.org

AIT
Prof. C. Visvanathan
Tel. +66-2-524-5640
Email: visu@ait.ac.th

UNESCAP
Mr. Masakazu Ichimura
Tel. +66-2-288-1455
Email: ichimura@un.org

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