EU and ASEAN cooperate to mitigate the impacts of climate change
On 31 October β 13 November 2021, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
During the event, Director-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission, Koen Doens, reiterated the EUβs commitment to support green recovery in ASEAN. Doens highlighted the importance of programmes such as the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF) in supporting a comprehensive and environmentally friendly post-pandemic recovery in the region through low carbon and climate resilient infrastructure projects.
Adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in Paris, the Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The agreement invited participating countries to submit long-term low greenhouse gas emissions development strategies (LTS) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to strive towards the global goal of reaching net-zero global emissions.
To date, Singapore and Indonesia are the only ASEAN Member States to have submitted their LTS to the UNFCCC. The EU through the Enhance Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) conducted a scoping study titled: βStrengthening Science and Policy Interface in Climate Change related Decision-Making Process β Laying the groundwork for the development of LTS in ASEANβ. The study collects global practices and identifies lessons learnt from already developed LTS, including those of the European Union, observes where ASEAN Member States currently stand in the LTS development process and proposes recommendations for advancing and harmonising LTS in the ASEAN region.
The conclusion of the study was also shared in the COP26 side event, βLong-Term Strategies: Priorities, Lessons and Opportunities for International Cooperationβ on 2 November 2021.
The EU also launched the Unwaste: Tackling waste trafficking to support a circular economy programme on 20 October 2021 to address the illicit flows of waste from Europe to Southeast Asia and promote good practices for the detection of waste shipments that are in violation of national and international regulations. The new programme is designed to tackle the specific issue of waste trafficking to support a circular economy and aims to develop regional standards for ASEAN.
The EMS is also being implemented in Thailand, supported by the EU-Southeast Asian Aviation Β© Ilo ilo Airport Partnership Project (EU-SEA APP)
The EMS is also being implemented in Thailand, supported by the EU-Southeast Asian Aviation Β© Ilo ilo Airport Partnership Project (EU-SEA APP)
E-READIβs studyStrengthening Science and Policy Interface
in Climate Change related Decision-Making
Process β Laying the groundwork for the
development of LTS in ASEAN
