United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Overview of Potential of ICT in Urban Environmental Management M. Aslam Khan Chief, Environment Section

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Outline ICT tools and environmental initiatives ICT and environmental management ICT in urban environmental management under the Kitakyushu Initiative Challenges and Issues 9/15/2021 2

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ICT Tools and Environmental Initiatives ICT: Information and Communication Technologies In recent years, people are using various ICT equipment such as the Internet (websites, discussion forums, networking) personal computers digital cameras personal digital assistance video-conferencing geographic information systems 9/15/2021 3

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Digital Economy and the Environment Since ICT can be such a powerful tool on many occasions in human activity, its further development will result in drastic changes in a number of areas including production process distribution system consumer behaviour policy and decision making process lifestyles and values of people public participation 9/15/2021 4

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ICT Applications in Urban Environmental Management Increased information accessibility, particularly for remote regions and disadvantaged social groups Enhanced public awareness and greater public involvement Faster collection, processing and more accurate quantitative analysis of environmental data More transparent and effective local environmental governance Improved networking Reduced cost 9/15/2021 5

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ICT and Urban Environmental Management under the Kitakyushu Initiative Monitoring and modeling Information sharing Online public participation/deliberation Distance learning Assistance in Policy formulation 9/15/2021 6

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Monitoring and Modeling Monitoring and modeling technologies can potentially help environmental policymakers in improving both the quality and efficiency of environmental data collection and analysis Monitoring and modeling in air pollution Motoring and modeling in waste management 9/15/2021 7

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Information Sharing Scarcity of relevant and reliable information has always been a substantial obstacle to more effective urban environmental management Online access of information by stakeholders Online networking of relevant stakeholders helps with sharing of experiences and good practices 9/15/2021 8

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Online Public Participation/Deliberation Public comments via emails and discussion forums Online public campaigns Public scrutiny and pressure stimulate necessary actions 9/15/2021 9

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Distance Learning Widened access for environmental education Enhanced awareness building Reduced cost 9/15/2021 10

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Assistance in Policy Formulation Communications among stakeholders contribute to effective policy formulation and sound decision -making Local knowledge incorporated in policy with consensus building Transparent and participatory approach Enhanced policy implementation 9/15/2021 11

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Challenges and Issues Infrastructure problems Quality of data and its security Regulatory and institutional framework Financial and technical resources Human resource development 9/15/2021 12