Asia Regional Center of Excellence on Climate Change and Development (ARC) : feasibility assessment

The main objective of the assessment was to determine the most appropriate options for designing and establishing the ARC. To meet this objective, the assessment addressed four issues: (1) identifying the goals and objectives of the ARC; (2) defining the core functions of the ARC, as well as the methodology through which to ensure innovation and commercialization of best practices; (3) defining the organizational and management requirements of the ARC; and (4) launching and making the ARC operational (including addressing options for sustainable financing). To inform the assessment"s recommendations, outreach to key stakeholders that are active on climate change issues in the region was undertaken in phases that included outreach to U.S. Government technical agencies as well as key organizations in the region, with stakeholder sessions held in Manila, New Delhi, Jakarta, Beijing and Bangkok and Washington, DC. All information collected (from over 450 participants and through supplemental research) and the resulting recommendations were captured in the final feasibility assessment report. (Author abstract, modified)