Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

The history of APN dates back to the 1990 White House Conference on Science and Economics Research Related to Global Change, 17–18 April 1990, at which then US President George Bush invited countries of the world to join the United States in creating regional networks for north–south scientific cooperation at the intergovernmental level to deal with global environmental change research.^[3] Later in 1992, President Bush and then Prime Minister of Japan Kiichi Miyazawa signed the 1992 US-Japan Global Partnership Agreement, which, among other things, reaffirmed and strengthened Japan-US commitment to global change research.^[4]

Discussions along these lines ultimately resulted in the establishment of three global change research networks: ENRICH for Europe and Africa, APN for Asia and the Pacific, and IAI for the Americas.^[5]

APN was formally launched in 1996 at its first intergovernmental meeting held at Chiang Mai, Thailand. In 1997, a competitive process was in place, open to funding applications for scientific research projects relating to global environmental change.

Starting from 12 countries in 1996, APN membership has grown to 22 as of April 2013. In addition to the 22 full members, institutions and individuals from a number of “approved countries” are eligible for APN funding.