East Asia Forum 2022: Decarbonizing Asia and the Pacific – Experience from East Asia

Events

East Asia Forum 2022: Decarbonizing Asia and the Pacific – Experience from East Asia

20 April 2022 to 21 April 2022

Economies in Asia and the Pacific are increasingly committing to the goal of carbon neutrality, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change and outcomes of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).

Cohosted by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), East Asia Forum 2022 explored the next steps for achieving decarbonization in Asia and the Pacific, drawing upon lessons from East Asia.  

The discussion focused on the progress, limitations, and possible measures of:

  • Effective decarbonization policies
  • Financing decarbonization
  • Air pollution management and carbon-neutral city development
  • Low carbon rural development
Program and Learning Materials: 
Date Session / Activity Presentation Material Speaker(s)
20 Apr 2022 Opening Session Session Chair M. Teresa Kho, Director General East Asia Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Opening Session Opening Remarks Ahmed M. Saeed, Vice President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, ADB

Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean, ADB Institute
20 Apr 2022 Opening Session Towards a framework for financing climate transition
The keynote speech of Ma Jun, Chairman ofG20 Sustainable Finance Working Group.
Ma Jun
20 Apr 2022 Opening Session Decarbonizing Asia and the Pacific: Some Key Issues Countries will be Facing
The opening session lays out key issues and trends in policies and opportunities toward decarbonization. The focus is on the need to develop a financing...
Jonathan Walters
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization Session chair Sujata Gupta, Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Division, East Asia Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization Towards Robust Long-term Low Greenhouse Gas Development Strategies (LTS) Towards ‘Net Zero’
This session will discuss key factors for developing effective decarbonization policy and measures, lessons from climate transition and implementing decarbonization...
Richard Baron
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization PRC's Transition to a Low Carbon Economy Li Gao, Director General, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the PRC
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization PANELISTS: Arief Wijaya, Program Director, WRI Indonesia (Open Climate Network Indonesia, Climate Policy Options)

Suzanna Sumkhuu, Acting CEO, New Recovery Policy Accelerator of Mongolia
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization Japan’s Medium- and Long-term Targets for GHG Reduction
Ryuzo Sugimoto
20 Apr 2022 Plenary Session: Planning and Acting for Effective Decarbonization Assaad Razzouk, CEO, Gurīn Energy (recently established pan-Asia renewable energy business) Singapore

Noelle O’Brien, Director, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Division, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Session Chair Xiaoqin Fan, Director, Public Management, Financial Sector, and Regional Cooperation Division, East Asia Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Hong Kong, China’s Experiences in Green Bond Market Development
This session discusses the role of the financial sector in climate transition. The panel discussion will explore post-event initiatives that can strengthen...
Joseph Chan
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Defining and Measuring Green Finance: The IT System
This presentation gave an overview of PRC's leading green fintech products.
Hui Chen
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts PANELISTS: Michael Zhang, Vice Chairperson, Investment Banking, Deutsche Bank PRC
Boldoo Magvan, CEO, of the Mongolia Green Finance Corporation
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Climate issues in Central Asia: review from CAREC Institute
This presentation gave an overview of CAREC Institute Climate Study.
Iskandar Abdullaev
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Munlika Sompranon, Director of Policy and Strategy Section, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, Ministry of Energy, Thailand
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Joshua Ling, Climate Change Specialist (Climate Finance), Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Division, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Anqian Huang, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, Public Management, Financial Sector, and Regional Cooperation Division, East Asia Department, ADB
20 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 1: Financing Decarbonization Efforts Biao Huang, Principal Investment Specialist, Private Sector Financial Institutions Division, Private Sector Operations Department, ADB
Date Session / Activity Presentation Material Speaker(s)
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Managing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Session Chair Jiwan Acharya, Principal Energy Specialist, Energy Division, South Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Managing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Co-benefits of Air Quality Management and Decarbonization: Air Quality Improvement in the Greater Beijing- Tianjin-Hebei Region Program
This session shares the experience gained from managing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the PRC. The panelists from the region will explore...
Yun Zhou
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Managing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions PANELISTS: Deepak Sahani, Manager, Corporate Planning, Energy Efficiency Service Limited, India
Vaqar Zakaria, Managing Director, Hagler Bailly Pakistan
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Managing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Faela Sufa, Director, Institution of Transportation and Development Policy, Indonesia
Yixin Yao, Senior Research Fellow, ADB Institute
Shannon Cowlin, Principal Energy Specialist, Sustainable Infrastructure Division, East Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Developing Carbon-Neutral Cities Session Chair Asif Cheema, Director, Urban and Social Sectors Division, East Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Developing Carbon-Neutral Cities Developing Low-Carbon and Carbon Carbon-Neutral Cities in the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia
After a brief introduction of carbon neutral and circular-economy zero waste cities concept and sharing of key lessons from selected projects of the Asian...
Stefan Rau
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Developing Carbon-Neutral Cities PANELISTS Yang Xiu, Associate senior researcher and research director, Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 2: Transforming Suffering Cities - Developing Carbon-Neutral Cities Dražen Kučan, Sector Lead / Senior Urban and Energy Efficiency Specialist, Division Mitigation Adaptation, Green Climate Fund
Yong Ye, Country Director, Pakistan Resident Mission, Central and West Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Low-Carbon Rangeland and Livestock Management Session Chair Pavit Ramachandran, Country Director, Mongolia Resident Mission, East Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Low-Carbon Rangeland and Livestock Management Low Carbon rangeland and livestock management Integrated and Transformative Green Urban Rural Approaches in Mongolia
This session will first present lessons learned through ADB’s support to low-carbon rangeland and livestock management in Mongolia. The panel discussion...
Amaud Heckmann, Jan Hinrichs
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Low-Carbon Rangeland and Livestock Management PANELISTS: Enkh-Amgalan Tseelei, A member of the Steering committee and Advisor to Executive Team, Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups of Herders
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Low-Carbon Rangeland and Livestock Management Dil B. Rahut, Vice Chair of Research, Senior Research Fellow/Economist, ADB Institute
and Agriculture Specialist, Rural Development and Food Security (Agriculture) Thematic Group, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Low-Carbon Rangeland and Livestock Management Hans Siewert Woldring, Senior Evaluation Specialist, Sector and Project Division, Independent Evaluation Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Bio-based Value Chains Session chair Yolanda Fernandez Lommen, Country Director, PRC Resident Mission, East Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Bio-based Value Chains ADB’s Support to Low Carbon Rural Development in the PRC
This session shares key lessons from the low carbon rural development throughbio-based value chains focusing on the development of new institutions and...
Thomas Panella
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Bio-based Value Chains PANELISTS Miao Zheng, Deputy Director, Department of Farmland Enhancement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, People’s Republic of China
Yiching Song, Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences
21 Apr 2022 Regional Exchange 3: Toward Low-Carbon Rural Development - Achieving Carbon Neutrality Through Bio-based Value Chains Wei Liu, Senior Sustainability Scientist, Luohan Academy of the Alibaba Group
Srinivasan Ancha, Principal Climate Change Specialist, Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Division, Southeast Asia Department, ADB
21 Apr 2022 Closing Session: Deepening Partnerships

This closing session launches One ADB Knowledge Working Group (OKWG), which has been set up to facilitate the knowledge transfers across ADB’s developing member countries.

21 Apr 2022 Closing Session: Deepening Partnerships PANELISTS Peter Morgan, Senior Consulting Economist and Advisor to the Dean, ADB Institute

Dongxiang Li, Lead Regional Cooperation Specialist, Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division, South Asia Department
21 Apr 2022 Closing Session: Deepening Partnerships Safdar Parvez, Advisor, East Asia Department
21 Apr 2022 Closing Session: Deepening Partnerships Closing Remarks M. Teresa Kho, Director General East Asia Department, ADB

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