APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

Foreword
Foreword
Ryu Matsumoto
Minister of the Environment, Japan
Caring for our planet is our imperative. At the 10th meeting of the Conference
of the Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/COP10) in
Nagoya in 2010, for which I acted as the President of COP10, we adopted a
set of decisions and demonstrated our potential to act together for the global
benefit. At the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16) in Cancun in
2010, I reaffirmed that we must tackle climate change toward substantial
global reduction of green house gas emissions. The Government of Japan
has supported the Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development
(<strong>APFED</strong>) to instigate multi-stakeholder action to foster transformation in
the public’s perception and behaviour, as well as policies and institutions,
for achieving sustainable development. I hope that this booklet will inspire
everyone with its accounts of community-based action to act together and
live in better harmony with our planet and become more responsible for
future generations.
Achim Steiner
UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director
We are again on the Road to Rio, nearly 20 years after the Earth Summit of
1992 that gave birth to the international response to sustainable development.
The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (<strong>APFED</strong>) is a key
and prominent example involving UNEP and its Regional Office for Asia
Pacific and a wide range of collaborators. Much of the success of <strong>APFED</strong>
has been under the Showcase Programme: UNEP has been privileged to
host its secretariat. The projects highlighted in this booklet demonstrate
the vital triangulation of science, policy and action on the ground in terms
of catalyzing positive change. The lessons learnt and insights gained
from <strong>APFED</strong> can in turn assist governments and civil society in terms of a
transition to a Green Economy as they prepare for the RIO+20 next year.
<strong>APFED</strong> provides a springboard for a more decisive and defining response
to the challenges. I would like to thank the Government of Japan, and its
Environment Ministry as we look forward to a new era of collaboration.
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