4 December 2009: The first session of the Committee on Environment and Development of the UN Environment and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) convened from 2-4 December 2009, in Bangkok, Thailand, and focused its discussions on development through Green Growth. Delegates agreed on the need to incorporate environmental sustainability, including Green Growth, into development policy.

According to UNESCAP, the Green Growth initiative is a regional strategy that brings together economic growth and environmental sustainability objectives and fosters socially inclusive and sustainable development. The final day of the meeting spot-lighted ten successful regional Green Growth projects, including the Thailand Eco-Village project. All resources in the Eco-Village, including solid, liquid and gas, are recycled and reused. This includes sequestering carbon dioxide emissions for the growth and production of algae biomass, which is then used to generate energy and produce fertilizer. [UNESCAP Press Release, 4 December 2009][UNESCAP Press Release, 2 December 2009]