31 January 2024
19th WEPA Annual Meeting
International Workshop

Toward the Sustainable Nitrogen Management

Yu Kamei
Director for International Cooperation
Environmental Management Bureau
Ministry of the Environment, Japan1

UNEA Resolutions on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
UNEA 4/14. Sustainable nitrogen management (Mar 2019)
1st meeting of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen (Jun 2020)
2nd meeting of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen (Jan 2023)

UNEA 5/2. Sustainable nitrogen management (Mar 2022)
Noting with concern that excessive levels of nutrients, in particular reactive nitrogen andphosphorus, have a significant impact on species composition in terrestrial, freshwaterand coastal ecosystems, with cascading effects on biodiversity, on the quality of soil,
water and air, and on ecosystem functioning and human well-being,
1. Encourages Member States to accelerate actions to significantly reduce nitrogenwaste globally by 2030 and beyond through the improvement of sustainable nitrogenmanagement;
2. Also encourages Member States to share information on national action plans, asavailable, according to national circumstances;

3rd meeting of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen (Apr 2023)

4th meeting of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen (Sep 2023)
5th meeting of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen (Jan 2024)

UNEA 6. (Feb 2024)2

Interministerial Coordination toward the Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Relevant Ministries Liaison Meeting on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Meeting to facilitate communication and information sharing and promote
discussions among relevant ministries- Ministry of the Environment- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Advisory Committee on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Committee to obtain scientific and technical advice
Consisting of experts and researchers in related fields- nitrogen cycle, denitrification technology, nitrogen inventory, nitrogen footprint,
enclosed seas, lakes, groundwater, atmospheric environment

Formulation of the National Action Planon Sustainable Nitrogen Management

3Synergistic Approach on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Synergistic Approach on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Water and Atmospheric Environment Management- Advanced treatment (denitrification) in factories- Dealing with nitrate and nitrite nitrogen in groundwater, eutrophication of lakes

Carbon NeutralCircler Economy

Nature Positive

Expanding the use offuel ammonia andhydrogen, reducing
emissions to the air

Expanding the use ofcompost and sewage
sludgeCreating ocean rich infishery resources
through appropriate
nutrient management

International Cooperation on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
Sharing knowledge and experience, capacity building and support introductionof technologies, such as- Sharing knowledge and experience through the EANET Project- Capacity building through the WEPA- Support introduction of technologies by the water improvement model project4

Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET)
RussiaMongolia

JapanChina

Laos

ThailandMyanmarVietnam

Cambodia
Malaysia

Indonesia

Republic of Korea

The PhilippinesStarted operation in January 2001 with the aim ofestablishing a regional cooperation mechanismon acid deposition problems in East Asia.



Currently 13 countries are participating.

Scope Expansion
 At the Intergovernmental Meeting held in 2020,
it was agreed to expand the scope of activities
to address wider atmospheric environmentrelated issues from the acid deposition.
At the Meeting in 2021, the specific atmosphericenvironment-related substances and activities
to be covered by the expanded scope and theguidelines for the new EANET Project Fundwere adopted.

 EANET has been monitoring wet and dry deposition, soil, vegetation, land water,and catchments for many years in the East Asian region, and has a lot of data,
knowledge and experience on reactive nitrogen.
 Japan plans to hold seminars on sustainable nitrogen management as theEANET project in 2024(16th Feb and after UNEA6), to share international trends,and sharing information, knowledge and experience of EANET.

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Programs to Improve Water Environment in Asia
Water Environment Partnershipin Asia (WEPA)

Model Project for Improvementof Water Environment in Asia

Partnership aims to improve thecapacity of government officials in
Asian countries by sharing issues andexperiences related to water
environmental governance

Project aims to promote theimprovement of the water
environment by disseminating
appropriate water treatment
technologies

WEPA consists ofpartners in 13
Asian countries

Feasibility
Study

PilotProjectDeveloping
Business Models

Water Environment Improvement Projectby Introducing Advanced Johkasou Systemin the World Heritage City in Laos, 2020-2023

 WEPA has a lot of knowledge and experience on capacity development.
 To promote the sharing information, knowledge and experience on sustainable
nitrogen management through WEPA activities.

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