IOM Press Briefing Notes
Friday 5 September 2008

INDONESIA – Religious Teachers Carry Ramadan Message of Community Policing to Aceh - IOM is working with the Ar-Raniry State Islamic Institute and the Aceh Provincial Police (Polda NAD) through the Holy month of Ramadhan to promote community policing in the Indonesia’s northernmost province through the use of Islamic cultural values unique to the area.

The 15-day Safari Kemitraan Ramadhan (Ramadhan Partnership Road show), which kicks off today, is funded by the European Commission and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and aims to inform villagers about the value of community policing using religious messages.

IOM is providing logistical support, transport and printed materials for the team of religious teachers from the Institute and police officers implementing the scheme.

“Communities in Aceh will benefit from all the positive values embodied in community policing. The roadshow will help to endorse the program and will be an effective tool to build partnerships with Acehnese across the province,” says Dr. Abdul Rani, Msi, a professor of Ar-Raniry.

Located at the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra, Aceh is also known colloquially as Mecca’s Veranda. For hundreds of years it served as the final port of call for pilgrims making the long sea voyage from Indonesia, the most populous Moslem nation on earth, to Mecca. It is the most devout area in Indonesia, and proud of its Islamic heritage.

Aceh Senior Police Commissioner Setyanto says he supports the use of a culturally sensitive approach to informing a public that is deeply suspicious of the police. Aceh was the scene of a violent, decades-long separatist conflict that drew to a close in 2005, with the signing of a peace agreement between rebels and the central government.

{As it happens, Aceh is also home of large oil fields with international oil companies having had involvement here. Aceh once was sponsored from the outside in its attempt of becoming independent from Indonesia - thus the announcement and the backing are quite interesting.}

IOM is in the midst of a two year programme to training more than 7,200 of the roughly 9,200 police officers in Aceh in community policing and human rights. The trainings aim to reduce conflict and underpin a return to peace and security in the province.

For further information, please contact Jihan Labetubun at IOM Jakarta. Tel. +62 8111907028. Email:  jlabetubun at iom.int

World Economic Forum: “Dire Situations Call for Bold Measures.”

The World Economic Forum on East Asia wrapped up this week with Ahn Ho-Young, South Korea’s Deput  Minister for Trade, saying it was dominated by “the three F’s”: food, fuel and finance.

A forum survey of the 55 business leaders who attended the two-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, showed that an overwhelming 81% voted for “addressing growing global concern over environmental challenges such as climate change and water” as the top issue facing Asia.

Also of concern were “preventing political and economic instability linked to rising food and energy prices” and “managing the social, environmental and infrastructural implications of rapid urbanization.”
The survey also revealed that the price of rice had more than tripled in Thailand since January. During the same time, diesel prices have risen over 26% in Vietnam.
Water is another issue rising to the fore, with Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Board, Nestle, Switzerland, repeating his dire warning: “We will be running out of water long before we run out of oil.”

He lamented that more of the world’s GDP was not being allocated to water: “One out of every five children is dying every 20 seconds because we haven’t been able to solve the problem of clean water today.”

Mr. Ho-Young (South Korea)  urged Asia to do three things: “First, it is important for Asian countries to maintain their open market policies which will enable us to maintain the momentum of economic growth,” he said. Second, he urged Asian countries to pay more attention to the economic and social impacts imposed by the global economic uncertainties. Third, “Asian countries should and must play a more active role in solving global issues,” he said (Xinhua).
In his opening remarks, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi referred to fundamental questions, primary assumptions, and revered assumptions, that had to be reviewed and re-evaluated. “Unless we are prepared to address these questions sincerely and take necessary remedial measures,” he said, “our economies and the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people will continue to be vulnerable. Dire situations call for bold measures” (The Toronto Star).

East Asia (generally consisting of Japan, North and South Korea, China, Taiwan, with Vietnam and Singapore) has come to the realization that it is now in a position to react positively, with the best interests of the region in mind, to the world’s economic challenges.

Melaka’s modern history began in 1403 with the arrival of Parameswara, an exiled Hindu Prince from the Kingdom of Sri Vijaya on Sumatra Island.
He embraced Islam under the title Raja Iskandar and started the Sultanate of Melaka that evolved into a vibrant maritime trading center.

The Portuguese, led by Alfonso d’Albuquerque conquered Melaka in 1511 and held it for 130 years until it was taken over by the Dutch in 1641 who ruled
for 154 years until 1824 when it was taken over by the British.  Malaysia’s independence in was 1957. The Japanese ruled during the 1942 - 1945 years.

In addition to the obvious Portuguese, Dutch, and British influences, actually the main influence was that of the Chinese and Indians who ran the economy of Melaka.

Here we will deal with the so called “Straits Chinese” or “Pernakan.”  They are the “Baba-Nyonyas.” There are no Babas and Nyonyas, though a myth is being created
that made outsiders believe that the babas are the males and the nyonyas the females, while others think it the other way. In short - we were surprised to find that even
part of the publicity for the UN Delegates’ Dining Room special two weeks, included this inaccuracy.

The straits of Melaka, between the Malay Peninsula and the long Sumatra Island is one of the busiest sea lanes through which today pass oil tankers, but even now, the straights are infested by pirates.
The Melaka city was thus an important fort in the colonial days, and still an important commercial center run in major part by the Nyonyas of today. Part of the Nyonyas and the Indians left Malaysia at a
time the Mahatir government took highly Malay ethnic nationalistic stand and tried to displace the Chinese and Indians from their positions. A Pernakan community exists now in New York and some
from that community came to eat at the UN. Three ladies sat at a neighboring table.

As the event was basically a really high caliber culinary event, I enjoyed immensely Chef Ismail Muhammad, who is something of a celebrity chef in Kuala Lumpur, run me through the ethnic background
of the food. I am thus happy to report that I ate spicy Malay meet, Portuguese inspired fish and Indian inspired curry-chicken, also a Chinese excellent vegetarian dish. There were terrific noodle dishes
and a desert  table that had sweets and not-so sweet works of art.

Now, what did I celebrate there personally - this is simple. I was in Melaka twice, in two separate visits to Malaysia. The fist time it was in 1987 when I went to investigate the smoke that was supposed
to have been caused by the Indonesian fires on Borneo island. I went then to see by myself the situation in Melaka and was convinced, that though highly polluted from the motor vehicular transportation,
Melaka suffered much less then Kuala Lumpur - this because the winds from the sea were able to dissipate some of the pollution - so I knew that the haze was not of Sumatra origin. In effect, probably,
Sumatra was getting Malaysian pollution and not the other way around.

Anson Chan joined Hong Kong civil service in 1962, and advanced within the system until nominated as Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative region from 1997 to 2001 - First as Deputy to the last British Governor, Chris Patten, and then to Beijing-appointed chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. I happened to be in Hong Kong in 1997, and am aware of the mixed feelings at the time, as people saw in her the China-plant in the British Administration. But now I think that it is agreed that Hon. Anson Chan was rather the person that managed to help smooth the transition of Hong Kong - from a British Colony to an affiliate of China.

She is seen now as the person that while dealing with the mechanics oof government, she also oversaw an orderly transition to a more democratic system - something that Hong Kong did not have under the British either! Hong Kong under China was given an agreed upon “Basic Law” that allows for sort of a mini-constitution; under this law she was pushing through the slow democratizing process. In 2006 she sat up a Core Group to promote democracy and universal suffrage. On that platform she was elected to the Hong Kong Legislative Council in December 2007, and looks forward to pursue that special goal which she keeps defining as UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE.

Friday, May 9, 2008, Hon. Anson Chan came for a breakfast meeting/discussion with the Asia Society President Dr. Vishaka N. Desai. The topic was: THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG.

She started out by telling us that until the 1980s there was no attempt under the British to establish a representative government in Hong Kong. The first election was held in 1985. By 1991 there were 10 members elected on the basis of one man - one vote. And there was also the corporate identity that created a Functional Constituency that takes part in the elections. She expressed the obvious that these Functional Constituencies can not be part of the universal suffrage idea.

We regard that time in China as Oppressive - she said, and by the time the British made some moves to have representative government it was already too late. The first real sign of progress was thus the election of December 2007 - and this is with Hong Kong as part of China.

Even Bhutan has now elections - so why does Hong Kong have to wait? - she asked. But still - Hong Kong will have complete personal elections only by 2020. There is an intermediary stage set for 2012, but she hopes that within 4 years, the Central Government (that is Beijing) may get the trust of the people - as the people in Hong Kong are loyal to China, and know that HK is part of China. So, there will be no reason not to have every person in have the right to vote and to stand for election. This second part is important in democracy and this is not yet the case in HK. A nominating Committee should not be a filtering sieve to eliminate those you do not want to stand for the election she explained.

Further she explained of a system of four sectors in the election comittee. She hoped that in stages there will be an increase in elected officials 2012 - 2016 - 2020. Having served for 39 years in HK government , her “passion” is now to get fair government for Hong Kong, she said.

Dr. Desai asked her - after 39 years in government, how is this that you decided now to move over to the elected branch? (or in her actual words - “to the other side”)

Anson explained that she created a group of like-minded people to put forward ideas that the government ignored. The situation was - “put-up or shut-up.” So she decided to run for elections. Quite a few people, even high-school students, went to Taiwan to observe elections. This is very good she said - specially for the young - it will be for them.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP TO TAIWAN, a government-to-government relationship, she said.

Q. What role can the International Community play to help on this path? This because of the strong international presence - it is Asia’s International City?

A. there are ex-pats living in HK, so there is concern. At the moment it is air quality! Not just politics! It is important that HK remains GHG Green. This is not interference by the International Community.

Q. From someone who lived in Singapore and wanted to know if the elections could lead to a situation like in Singapore?

A. “I hope it will not be the model for HK - think there will be a genuine choice for Singapore. We have a number of social problems, health care, how to educate, how to teach skills..”

She further expressed her concern with what happens with the civil service as a whole. She was not able to back some of the appointments that were made without the necessary checks and balances. Her opponent was appointed from one of the “friendly parties.”

Now I had my chance, and asked Ms. Chang if she sees a possibility for China evolving into a Federal government situation that could then allow for diversity. I did add perhaps a possibility to have such entities like Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Tibet among the units. I got in reply forthcoming information that was, honestly, even more then I hoped for.

Ms. Chan mentioned the Economic Zones that have their separate governing systems. She also mentioned the Autonomous Regions - so in principle the diversity is possible, and it is not set in stone because of existing present lines of demarcation that separate different administrative units. So, what I understand is that the whole Chinese central government is evolving - so that the state is ready to allow functional entities to evolve in different ways - as ingredients of a China that does figure to be a multi-system state - rather then a tightly centralized state. This gives us the justification that the system of buttons we introduced on www.SustainabiliTank.info, as part of our China button, is indeed the way of the future. We may thus enlarge our present selection by including buttons, as needed, for the Special Economic Zones.

Global Economy Gets a Little Greener.

Ten New Participants Join UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network at the Global
Business for the Environment Summit in Singapore.

SINGAPORE/NAIROBI, 23 April 2008 — What brings together a Latin American
beauty corporation, a boutique French advertising agency, a UK-based
sustainability think-tank and a Brazilian online carbon-trading venture?

All of them have pledged to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions en route to zero emissions by joining the Climate Neutral Network
(CN Net), a web-based forum to catalyse a transition to a low-carbon world
set up by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the UN’s
Environment Management Group.

The announcement was made today at the Global Business for the Environment
(B4E) Summit in Singapore.  The two-day conference, jointly organized by
UNEP and the UN Global Compact, is discussing business-driven solutions for
mitigating and adapting to climate change.

“A small but growing band of countries, cities and corporations are making
the clear and explicit statement that aspiring to low, even zero, emission
economies-is not some unobtainable pipe-dream but a path to profitability,
stability and sanity in an increasingly unstable world”, said Achim
Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.

“CN Net is federating this development and in doing so will catalyse a
transition to a low-carbon society able to transform the way we do business
on this planet.  The existing and new participants are leading by example
and proving the art of the possible and a determination to be part of a
global climate solution.  I look forward to welcoming more to the network
on World Environment Day 5 June under the theme ‘Kick the Carbon Habit’”,
he added.

A growing number of countries, cities, companies and organizations have
become CN Net participants since the initiative’s launch in February 2008
during UNEP’s Governing Council in Monaco.

The latest wave of participants extends the initiative’s reach to small-
and medium-size enterprises, as well as international, non-governmental and
research organizations.
New Additions:

Headquartered in Peru, Belcorp is an international corporation with 40
years’ experience in the manufacturing and sale of beauty products.
Well-known throughout Latin America for its iconic brands, Belcorp has
taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint throughout the supply chain –
from manufacturing to distribution of its products by some 500,000 female
sales representatives.

Inoxia is a small advertising outlet based in Bordeaux, France, which
prides itself on being a “responsible agency”.  Having completed its carbon
assessment for 2006-2007, Inoxia has set out on an ambitious plan of action
to cut greenhouse gas emissions caused by staff travel by 20% within two
years.

The aptly named BlindSpot research centre in the United Kingdom explores
opportunities for global sustainability which are conventionally
overlooked.  The centre has developed tools to make sustainable development
economically achievable such as “precycling insurance” that seeks to free
up funds for more preventive investment in global security.

Based in Brazil’s financial capital São Paolo, Incentive Sol is an
up-and-coming online venture that enables users to contribute towards the
global fight against global warming by purchasing environmentally-friendly
products and services.  A certain percentage of each transaction is
invested in community-based sustainability projects, such as small-scale
solar energy, while the buyers earn “carbon points” that could be used for
future online purchases.

Sempre Avanti Consulting is a carbon-neutral consulting practice based in
Wellington, New Zealand, which specializes in management consulting,
transportation, procurement and sustainability.  A participant in the
national carboNZero programme since 2006, the consultancy has a stringent
travel policy that favours companies offering emissions offsets, and a
vehicle purchasing policy with a focus on the use of hybrid cars and
bio-fuels.

The UK-based Carbon Clear helps businesses and individuals calculate their
carbon footprint, reduce greenhouse emissions at the source, and purchase
carbon offset credits to balance their unavoidable climate impacts.  Carbon
Clear invests in projects that improve living standards in developing
countries, while providing global climate benefits, such as fuel-efficient
cook stoves in Sudan, energy-efficient artisan brick kilns in Nicaragua,
and engine retrofits for two-stroke tricycle motorbike taxis in the
Philippines.

Wright Communications is New Zealand’s only public relations consultancy
specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainability communications.
It works with a broad range of entities many of which are pursuing carbon
neutrality, including multinational corporations, New Zealand-owned
businesses, government agencies and the not-for-profit sector.

Established in 1999, Planète Urgence is a French NGO that has pioneered the
concept of “solidarity holidays”, which allows working professionals to
engage in a concrete humanitarian mission during their annual leave or
other spare time.  By joining CN Net, the NGO has further committed to
offsetting its volunteers’ carbon emissions by investing in reforestation
projects in the developing countries it operates in.

The Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) was created in
2003 to assist 12 countries of the region in phasing out ozone-depleting
substances in support of the Montreal Protocol, which in itself has
significantly contributed to climate protection by phasing out substances
which had caused both ozone-depletion and global warming at the same time.
In line with UNEP’s climate-neutral strategy, the ECA network adopted its
climate-friendly approach to organizing regional network meetings from 1
January 2008.

Last but not least, the United Nations has, under the leadership of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also backed a decision to work towards
climate neutrality and UNEP is among the first to adopt measures to realize
this goal.  As part of UNEP’s climate-neutral strategy, a preliminary
comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory was prepared in March 2008 and
UNEP’s 2008 carbon footprint will be offset through the purchase of
certified emission reductions and other activities, such as tree planting
in support of its Billion Tree Campaign.

Quotes from Some of the New Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) Participants:

Belcorp  http://www.belcorp.biz/):  “As a corporation, we are committed to
looking after our planet to make it a safe and healthy place to live on.
This is hard work, but we know we can achieve it through the passion,
commitment and enthusiasm of each of our collaborators, because, more than
just a corporation, we are a great team capable of turning extraordinary
things into reality.” — Paul Duclos, Research & Development Corporate
Expert

Inoxia  http://inoxia.com/):  “Inoxia strongly believes that each company’s
actions will have an impact on the environment, no matter how big or small!
Our commitment to CN Net shows that even an SME in the advertising industry
can find a whole range of solutions to become more carbon neutral.” –
Philippe Barre, CEO

BlindSpot  http://www.blindspot.org.uk/):  “If ever there was a moment for
new thinking and fast action, it’s now.  BlindSpot’s work on global
economic tools will be shared through CN Net to give every business and
every community a real chance to become climate neutral, or better.  We
want to see both the economy and the climate recover quickly - CN Net is
helping to make that possible.” — James Greyson, Sustainability Analyst

Incentive Sol Soluções Solidárias Ltda  http://www. incentivesol.com):
“We believe that the climate change problem is far too large to be
confronted by one single individual, organization, group or nation, and
only initiatives based on solidarity and team work, as the example set by
UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network, will contribute to making the world more
sustainable.” — Stelio G. Cristovão, CEO

Sempre Avanti Consulting NZ Ltd (http:// www.sempreavantinz.co.nz/):  “We
have chosen to join the Climate Neutral Network as we see this as a natural
extension of our participation in the New Zealand-based carboNZero
programme.  The CN Net gives global profile to business environmental
sustainability.  We are passionate about our companies’ sustainability
practices and see the CN Net as the best vehicle to show our global
commitment to these issues.  Sempre Avanti Consulting supports the goals of
the CN Net and believes that businesses need to show commitment to their
corporate social responsibilities by joining networks like the CN Net.” –
Gordon Shaw, Consulting Director

Carbon Clear  http://www.carbon-clear.com/):  “Carbon Clear is delighted to
support the aims of the Climate Neutral Network.  As a company, we are
passionate about helping business make the transition to a sustainable
future.  It is important that we inspire leaders in business and government
by sharing share best practice and success stories.  Through the Climate
Neutral Network, we can contribute to a community that illustrates the
benefits of a low-carbon future.” — Mark U. Chadwick, CEO

Wright Communications  http://www.wrightcommunications.co.nz/):  “A number
of our clients are already certified carbon neutral and others are
currently participating in the carboNZero programme, so it is of great
value to understand what they are going through and what they are working
towards.  What we’ve found is that many sustainable solutions don’t involve
large financial investments, just sound decision making at critical
moments-which any sized company can do.” — Nikki Wright, Managing Director

Planète Urgence  http://www.planete-urgence.com/):  “Planète Urgence is
proud to join UNEP’s Carbon Neutral Network in recognition of NGOs’ leading
role in the fight against climate change and their key function as an
interface between the companies of North and the people in the South.  To
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to compensate for those which cannot be
reduced, to be carbon-neutral today and carbon-negative tomorrow — that’s
the potential of the Carbon Neutral Network for us.” — Hervé Dubois,
Director

Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia
 http://www.uneptie.org/ozonaction/networ…):  “Most ozone
depleting substances are greenhouse gases, some of which are thousands of
times more potent than carbon dioxide.  That’s why the implementation of
the Montreal Protocol has already contributed in a very significant way to
mitigating climate change and achieving the Kyoto targets.  The European
and Central Asian network is working with Governments, industry and
bilateral partners in the 12 participating countries to raise climate
change awareness and test new approaches, and has recently organized its
first climate-friendly meeting in Albania. But above all, we endeavour to
‘kick the habit’ and our addiction to carbon!” — Rajendra Shende, Head of
UNEP’s OzonAction Branch

The aims and objectives of the Climate Neutral Network, the pledges and
strategies of the participants and details on how to join are at
 www.unep.org

UN Environment Management Group is at www.unemg.org

Global Business Summit for the Environment – http://www.b4esummit.com/

For more information, please contact:
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, on Tel: +254-20-762-3084, Mobile:
+254-733-632755, or when travelling: +41-79-596-5737, or e-mail:
 nick.nuttall at unep.org
Anne-France White, Associate Information Officer, on Tel: +254-20-762-3088,
Mobile: +254-738-652793, or e-mail:  anne-france.white at unep.org

***********************************
Jim Sniffen
Information Officer
UN Environment Programme
New York
tel: +1-212-963-8094/8210
 info at nyo.unep.org
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A Brand Exists In People’s Hearts and Minds - In Today’s Asia, You are what you wear. That’s why people pay in Asia US$1000 (and more) for a canvas handbag that is branded Louis Vuitton.

Chadha Strategy is a Hong Kong-based brand consultancy that specializes in connecting global brands with Asian consumers’ hearts and minds.

It was founded in 2000 by Radha Chadha, one of Asia’s foremost brand strategy and consumer insights experts. Radha hails from India, she has worked with leading advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, Grey Worldwide and Bates Asia. She has held senior strategic planning positions, and led the thinking on brands such as HSBC, American Express, British Airways, Glaxo SmithKline and Mandarin Oriental.

Chadha Strategy advises companies operating in Asia on all areas relating to building a brand and its communication, and provides a range of services from brand strategy development to corporate training and speaking engagements.

Radha is the co-author of the newly released book “The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury.”

Visit the web site of the book  http://www.cultoftheluxurybrand.com to learn more.

Hong Kong boasts more Gucci and Hermes stores than New York or Paris. China’s luxury market is growing with such gusto that it will single-handedly become the biggest by 2014. Even India, the new kid on the luxury block, has 3-month waiting lists for hot items, while in Tokyo, the epicenter of the cult, 94% of women in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton bag.

The cult of the luxury brand is so powerful that Asian consumers account for as much as half of the $80 billion global luxe industry. Radha Chadha and Paul Husband explain the paradox of simultaneously pumping up your product’s status while pumping it out to the masses. They crack the code of the cult, offering a tried-and-tested approach to creating an explosive following for your brand. They outline a powerful model that explains the spread of luxury in developed markets such as Japan and Hong Kong, while predicting the future course for emerging markets such as China and India. They also examine the phenomenon of “genuine fakes”, impossible to tell from the originals and detracting from their sales.

We learned astonishing things, at the Asia Society in New York, from Ms. Chadha in her conversation with Greg Furman, Wednesday March 5, 2008. Mr. Furman, President, Furman Communications & Marketing, is the Founder/Chairman of the Luxury Marketing Council.

Today, Hong Kong has more Gucci and Hermes stores then Paris or New York. Ferragamo looks like the new National Shoe Brand in some developing countries. Talking of goods one wears - while consumers in the US buy only 11% of the global sales of luxury brands, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa, together) 32% - Asian consumer buy today 52% of the total global sales of these goods. Ms. Chadha knows about 50 women in Hong Kong that spend $1 Million for clothing and further 250 women - half a million each, she knows that many women are not rich, simply secretaries, and nevertheless buy brand name goods. She explained why so many Asians spend so much on luxury brand bags, watches, and jewellery. Her basic answer is that today in Asia you are what you wear!

Further, as there was in all of Asia some variation of the caste system - this has been dismantled with the new economy and instead came - “How much money you have!” So now some signal via goods they wear - here - I come from a decent family league and by showing off even more expensive goods - I come from even a higher league! so, the brands have become symbols to redefine the position of Asians in Society.

Above created the interest in “logofication” of the goods - the logo can tell anyone who you think you really are.

This sociology got even more interesting with the description of the five stages of this pseudo-development - that is not just the domain of the rich:

It all starts with Stage 1 - that is the basic past SUBJUGATION stage. Every Asian Society was subjugated in the last 200 years but now the new independence and economy have introduced the bed of money.

Stage 2 is thus START OF MONEY. India is now getting to this stage. But China is already ahead at Stage 3 which is the Stage of SHOW OFF. It is already 1% of the Chinese population that have reached this stage.

Stage 4 is FIT IN - or what we called in the West “Keeping up with the Joneses.” That is where Hong Kong and Singapore are now and Taiwan and Korea are now entering this stage also. But the highest heaven in this scale is Stage 5 - that is the stage when all of this has become a “WAY OF LIFE.” Now you cannot think of doing it any other way.

To understand how all of this happened, Ms. Chadha gave us as example the ACCELERATORS for three countries.

The Japan Accelerators: In per capita, the income of the Japanese is like in the US, but the homes are small, the transportation is cumbersome and people do not own cars. They have money to spend - so they spend it on their bodies. The luxury brands are very expensive so they suck up some of these available funds.

in Japan young people are clinging to their parents’ home - This liberates money for secretaries and sales force employees. That is 50% of those sales.

The China Accelerators: Much is given as gifts to business contacts. The brands entered in the 90’s and every transaction was smoothed with a gift. Now also an “own use” market is growing, and because the men earn mainly the money - this has created a man’s market for 50% of the sales.

Then, in China there is the Mistresses sink-hole. As China has become the largest target for foreign investment, this as Japan was in the past, there are many male busines people that come to China and acquire the confort of a second wife. obviously, this is no hint to any legal connection, but it is a highly important driver for luxury brand items.

India is a different case. A major Accelerator for the market are the Marriage extravaganzas. An Indian wedding could go for 7 days and there is a lot of gifting. Mainly from the bride’s family side to the groom’s family side. Some families have saved for years in order to spend it on this extravaganza.

A second Accelerator in India is now the POWER OF BOLLYWOOD.

From spending on the body, now quality is appreciated in other areas as well. Radha was talking of the “impact of the hand” - the heritage - to show value. So a luxury hotel that once was priding itself with good beds and pillows - now talks of great service to be remembered.

In the Q&A came up the question of Eco-luxury or the new values that are demanded by some from Europe and the US. This is not yet well developed but it is on the way. Also, in the Us we start now with “Luxury of Wellness” - with concierge services for the whole family. This actually existed in Asia before and does see now a resurgence and repackaging.

Someone wanted to find out about counterfeiting in Asia - how is it perceived when actually a lot of the products come from China and Korea? Then further - the effect of manufacturing over-runs that are sold as if they where counterfeits but are in effect the real thing? The answer to all of this is that the Asian customer - once he buys the real thing he will not go back to a non-known product.

OK, all what we heard was about the European brands having taken over the Asian Luxury-Brands market. But what about developing Asian own luxury brands? The answer was that time has come, but nevertheless, there is here an aura of country of origin. People in Asia look up to Western brands and when Japanese designer got successful overseas - it is just that - they had to show their mettle first by succeeding in the foreign markets. And that is totally ridiculous - just think that when in Europe they still wore “Wolf-Suits”, luxury items were imported from Persia, India, China.

Luxury brands is a make believe exclusivity. It is by association with cellebrity - it is about creating an aura. Then the buyer will also believe that luxury rests in quality of manufacturing.

I had the chance to speak with Ms. Chadha after the presentation and told her that i did indeed buy about 15 years ago two pairs (black and brown) of Coach shoes (one of the brands that were mentioned) and they were so good that I keep giving them to the shoemaker for repair - and the company just lost me as a client - I am sure that this does not endear me to Coach.

Now, thinking about sustainable development, the reality depicted in this evening tales is quite appauling when one feels compassion for the development in these countries. In effect we can see little difference with the imports of Cadillacs in the 50s-60s to Saudi Arabia. We clearly would have liked to hear that quality is related to environmental achievements - or at least something more cerebral then showing off to the Joneses. So be it - I hope the folks at UNICEF read this - they may find some vindication here of their own Gucci story. 9 those uninitiated, please use the search mechanism of our website to read about the UN and Gucci.

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Further, from this article we also learn about a rearranged world. And that might even be more interesting then the actual content of luxury brands.

 Now - did you realize that Asia is now basically composed of the economies of China Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia - ten States from the South, South East and Far East parts of Asia?

Above States are basically Budhist and Hindu with a springling of Islam? As said in the article all these societies had historic caste structures. Malysia comes in thanks to the very active Budhist and Hindu minorities. Eventually this Asia will fill out a bit with the addition of Mongolia, Burma, Cambodia, Laos … when those countries will start also to take part in the regional development process. Perhapse also others like Bangladesh and the Philippines, North Korea, Indonesia in some form or other.

The fact that this Asia will interact with the US is of no surprise, but rather as a major surprise we found here this EMEA concept - Europe - Middle East - Africa that lumps all what is to the West of this Asia into one group that is now led by Europe - but who knows - someday it might actually be led by the Islamic Middle East.

All what did not fit in to above three economic blocs - that is Latin America/Caribbean and Australia/New Zealand/Pacific are  simply the outsiders - those famous “Others” in UN language. Seemingly this Asia does not have much use for them.  www.SustainabiliTank.info comment)

From the spokesperson’s office of UNEP we were sent the following Press Release.

{But let us, note first that -  SustainabiliTank.info finds of particular interest the choice for the African region of
“Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior researcher at Sudan’s Higher Council for Environment & Natural Resources,” and we notice that there is no paragraph when explaining the choice as it was done for all other six choices - the special award, the US award, and the awards from the other five regions. Is this because the gentleman is an official of the government of Sudan and was proposed by the African Union in their routine of spiting the West?    We recreated the paragraph spacing in our posting.}

Climate Change Links 2008 Champions of the Earth Award Winners.

Green achievers from Bangladesh to New Zealand will be honoured at
international award ceremony in April in Singapore

NAIROBI, 28 January 2008 – From protecting the unique biodiversity of
Yemen’s islands to piloting climate-proofing strategies in Sudan and
boosting conservation in Barbados, the 2008 Champions of the Earth are
making their mark across the planet.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, former US Senator Timothy E. Wirth and New
Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark – whose country will host World
Environment Day this year with the theme “Kick the Habit! Towards a Low
Carbon Economy” – are among the seven environmental achievers chosen for
this year’s awards, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
announced today.

The Champions of the Earth prize, which will be given out at a ceremony in
Singapore on 22 April, recognizes individuals from each region of the world
who have shown extraordinary leadership on environmental issues.

The other 2008 Champions of the Earth are: Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior
researcher at Sudan’s Higher Council for Environment & Natural Resources;
Atiq Rahman, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced
Studies; Liz Thompson, the former Energy and Environment Minister of
Barbados; and Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, the Secretary-General of the Yemen
People’s General Congress.

All the winners have spearheaded outstanding initiatives in many different
areas from environmental policy to cutting-edge research, with a particular
focus on sustainable development and the fight against climate change.

The announcement comes on the eve of the 10th Special Session of the UNEP
Governing Council, which will bring together over 100 ministers from around
the world in Monaco from 20 to 22 February. This year’s Governing Council
will also focus on the urgent challenge of climate change – specifically,
the issue of mobilizing finance to realize a low-carbon world.

Achim Steiner, the UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director,
said: “Today, we face environmental challenges of unprecedented magnitude.
More than ever, our planet needs committed leaders and achievers like the
2008 Champions of the Earth who spur real, positive change and fuel
innovative solutions to environmental problems.

In doing so, these inspirational individuals demonstrate not only that
action and different development paths are possible but also the abundant
opportunities arising as a result of a transformation towards a green
economy.”

2008 Champions of the Earth:

UNEP SPECIAL PRIZE
Rt. Hon. Helen Clark

By setting a carbon-neutral goal for New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen
Clark has put her country at the forefront of today’s environmental
challenges. Three major policy initiatives launched by Miss Clark are also
blazing new trails for sustainability and the fight against climate change:
the Emissions Trading Scheme; the Energy Strategy; and the Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Strategy.

Miss Clark’s policies champion renewable energy and energy efficiency
across key sectors of the economy. Her Government is also achieving
substantial work on environmental protection, from forestry and agriculture
to improving public awareness and boosting private sector involvement in
sustainability. New Zealand will be hosting this year’s World Environment
Day – one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations
stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political
attention and action. The event will take place on 5 June 2008 with the
slogan “Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy”.

AFRICA                                                                                                                                                                                        Dr. Balgis Osman-Elasha

Dr. Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior scientist from Sudan, is at the forefront
of global research on climate change. A leading author of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, she has produced
groundbreaking work on global warming – the defining challenge of our era –
in Africa, with an emphasis on northern and eastern Africa.

Dr. Osman-Elasha’s emphasis on global warming and adaptation in Sudan is
vital given the strong interlinkages between climate change and conflict in
the country. Her work as a prominent researcher on climate change makes her
a true role model for women in Africa.

The award also recognizes Dr. Osman-Elasha’s efforts to educate Sudanese
university students about the issue of climate change, thus raising
awareness among the country’s new generation.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Dr. Atiq Rahman

Dr. Atiq Rahman is an eloquent advocate for sustainable development from<