The ADFIAP Secretariat received at the Association headquarters on February 2, 2012 a two-person mission from the United States Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID-RDMA) to discuss the agency’s new regional initiative called “Low Emissions Asian Development” (LEAD) Program. Messrs. Khan Ram-Indra and Frank Josua, USAID Program Development Specialist and Chief of Party of ICF International, the prime project contractor, met with Mr. Octavio B. Peralta and Ms. Cora Conde, ADFIAP Secretary General and Head of ADFIAP Consulting, respectively.
The USAID’s LEAD program aims to help Asian governments, businesses and institutions develop the proper framework for sustained low-emissions development. This new five-year program is designed to build capacity and develop low emission development strategies (LEDS), GHG inventories and accounting, and carbon market readiness in up to 11 countries, namely, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
As many environmental and climate change issues are regional by nature, LEAD takes a regional approach in facilitating Asia-Pacific cooperation and knowledge-sharing, replicating best practices, promoting LEDS, and encouraging public-private-partnerships. The program tailors its activities to specific country circumstances, providing further opportunities for regional support and collaboration. LEAD supports the adoption of low-carbon policies, plans, and practices and enhanced human and institutional capacity in three interrelated areas: (1) LEDS preparation and implementation (2) national GHG inventory development and (3) carbon market readiness.
LEAD complements the U.S. Government’s global initiative for Enhancing Capacity for Low Emissions Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) and draws on specialized expertise from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Forest Service. For more information on this program, please visit https://www.usaid.gov/rdma