Asia-Paciﬁc Network
for Global Change
Research (APN)
Over 25 years of policy-relevant
research on global change andsustainability in the Asia-Pacificregion

Yukihiro Imanari
Programme Advisor
APN Secretariat

ISAP 2023: Parallel Session 2
Mainstreaming CES in the Post-2030
Agenda for Enhancing Integrated Actions
on Climate and Sustainability Goals:
Towards Bridging Local-to-Global
Feedback Loops1

MOEJʼs Conceptof the “Regional
Circulating andEcological Sphere(Regional-CES)”● Regional-CES is a concept to promote sustainable
development through applying circularity principles atthe local and regional levels with close and equitable
collaboration between rural and urban areas for
maximum utilisation of local strengths and resources.

MOEJʼs Conceptof the “RegionalCirculating andEcological Sphere(Regional-CES)”● Strong focus on the development of rural communities
While “it is impossible for any local socio-economic
activities to be entirely self-contained in this modern ageof extensive socioeconomics”, by applying Regional-CES,
regions, including those with rural communities, candemonstrate their “strengths by utilizing its uniquecharacteristics, thereby building a self-reliant anddecentralized society [...]”.
● Many of the good practices highlighted in MOEJʼs concept
paper “Creation of a Regional Circular and Ecological
Sphere (Regional-CES) to Address Local Challenges” areinitiatives from rural regions of Japan.

APN/IGES-KRC
Joint Scoping
Activity on
Regional-CES● Objectives:○ Introduce Regional-CES and investigate its applicability
in the unique context of three SEA countries;○ Compare Regional-CES with other frameworks/
concepts; and○ Identify entry points, challenges and possible solutions.

(AOA2020-01-RCES)● Conducted three national workshops:■ Philippines (held virtually in Febr. 2022)■ Thailand (October 2022)■ Indonesia (May 2023)

National WS in thePhilippines“Building Climate
Resiliency throughLinking RuralUrban Plans andPriorities”

Challenges● Mismatch in priorities due to conﬂiction of policies
at local, sub-national and national levels● Wasteful duplication of plans from various agencies
at various levels● Lack of knowledge and information sharing

Tackling challenges●●●●

Empowerment of stakeholders
Strengthening cross-sectoral coordination
Sharing of knowledge and best practices
Research and development in circular economypractices

National WS in
Thailand“PromotingRegional-CES:
Concept for Resilientand Sustainable
Communities”

Challenges● Weak location-based regulatory tools● Incompatibility between top-down implementation
efforts and local needs● Lack of understanding of locally available resources

Tackling challenges● Improvement of laws/regulations based onlocations and their speciﬁc needs● Establishment of local stakeholder platforms● Community participation/consultation to formulate
and implement spatial planningNational WS inIndonesia“Strengthening
Urban-Rural Linkage
for Localisation ofSDGs throughIntegrated Regional
Planning andCollective Actions”

Challenges● Bias: urban-centric positions stronger than ruralinterests● Lack of inter-municipality coordination● Different culture/tradition between urban and ruralareas

Tackling challenges● Enhancing spatial planning with accurate mapping● Effective law enforcement● Addressing conﬂicts between land ownership rights
and spatial regulations

● More inclusion of rural communities needed
Take home○ strong emphasis on engagement of other stakeholder
messages from thegroups. However, Regional-CES is still very
National Workshops
urban-centric○ Stronger and more thorough engagement ofstakeholders from rural areas is essential○ Enhancing communication: national development
plans without understanding of the needs of ruralcommunities● Legal infrastructure to be strengthened: landdevelopment plan to empower rural communities

Take homemessages from theNational Workshops● Regional-CES is not the only concept around as otherframeworks/concepts exist and being implemented, e.g.:○ Bio-circular-green (BCG) Economy in Thailand,○ Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumptionand Production (PAP4SCP)○ Presidential regulation 60/2020 of Indonesia on
urban rural development in Jabodetabekpunjur⇒ Need to further investigate these concepts, learn
from their good practices and experiences⇒ No perfect fit for all⇒ Better communication within and between
stakeholder groups

Thank you!

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Yukihiro Imanari
APN Secretariat
APN Secretariat
East Building, 4F,
1-5-2 Wakinohama Kaigan Dori,Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073 JAPANTel : +81-78-230-8017,
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Email: info@apn-gcr.org

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