Issue 8. December 2003

Guest Editorial Comment:
Mr Sombo T. Yamamura, Director, APN Secretariat



First of all, on behalf of the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research(APN), I would like to congratulate the United Nations University's(UNU) project on POPs for receiving funding from APN for the year 2003 after a very competitive selection process. The APN is an inter-governmental network whose mission is to foster global environmental change research in the Asia-Pacific region, increase developing country participation in that research, and strengthen interactions between the science community and policy makers. We have an open process of call for proposals every year. We received 56 proposals for the year 2003-4 and funded only 17 projects including this one.

This is the first time for APN to provide funds for the specific project on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) as the majority of the projects are focusing on climate change and the human dimensions of global change. We understand that this project fits our priority area on coastal zones and inland waters and that our Science Planning Group members recognized the importance of the capacity building component of this project as well as its focus on POPs. We are very pleased with this result.

The UNU project on Capacity Development Training for Monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the East Asian Hydrosphere has now provided an excellent opportunity for us. This is partly because the development of knowledge and capacity of laboratory staff to carry out environmental monitoring activities has been one of the major aspects in environmental technical cooperation in developing countries. However, the reason is more than that. Particular emphasis should be addressed to an increasing concern about the chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to the human population and the environment. There has been a realization that these pollutants, upon exposure of human population, can cause serious health effects ranging from increased incidence of cancer to disruption of the hormonal system. The STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS adopted in 2001 has been increasing the awareness of the world on this important issue. However, it has also required countries to develop and enhance the capacity to undertake monitoring of POPs and the capacity to evaluate threats through an early warning system. This project is challenging as it has covered all those important aspects with the focus on POPs found in coastal and inland water and sediments. It is quite timely to have such a workshop for East Asian countries and I am very much impressed with the excellent initiative shown by the UNU.

From APN's perspective, we believe that this project will provide good opportunities to strengthen the link between science and policy makers. With the existence of Stockholm Convention, policy makers are keen to hear opinions and suggestions from science researchers. It is urgently needed to summarize the voice of science researchers as to what should be requested for policy makers to do particularly for the implementation of Stockholm Convention in East Asian countries.

Apart from the perspective of APN, I am personally very much interested in the progress of this project. The reasons include that I had an experience to work in a government owned environmental laboratory in a South Asian country for two years as a member of a bilateral cooperation team. One of the highest difficulties that I experience at that time was the financial condition that was given by the then government. Fewer funds were allocated than needed due to the reason that environmental monitoring, which is the accumulation of long years of solid soberness, was not the priority and that they wished the laboratory to become an autonomous body. It was difficult to fulfill the objective of the laboratory on environmental management without the necessary funds; they had to rely on the continuous support of a bilateral external partner on a grant basis for the supply of chemicals and operation/maintenance of the laboratory. The condition was far from sustainable but it was obvious that such external support cannot give an eternal assistance. Now that the POPs' convention has been drawing more attention of the government world widely, it is high time to strengthen environmental laboratories and their monitoring.

Incidentally, the laboratory where I worked was a member of the UNU project on Environmental Monitoring and Governance in the East Asian Hydrosphere, which started in 1996 and helped participating countries to develop their capacity on environmental monitoring. I had some important contacts with the UNU project. Five years after that experience, I was assigned to the Institute of Advanced Studies of the UNU and learned that the UNU project was successfully developing its planned programs.

I think UNU's advantage is seen in its neutral position to lead countries from the UN perspective and we should recognize more about UNU's potential role. In this regard, I hope UNU will contribute (1) in providing a forum for discussion, (2) in setting a long-term targets or goals, (3) in catalyzing UN' specialized agencies, programmes and funds. With this focus UNU will be able to make the most of its unique position that is complementary with other organizations in the UN system.

To conclude the message, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to express my enthusiasm to this project. I believe that the project this year will be very fruitful for all concerned and we will be able to make a big step forward for the objective of this challenging project. The summary of the project will be particularly useful for the participating researchers to relay the message to policy makers of their countries in order to share the understanding of POPs and to promote necessary measures to address this important issue.