ASEAN launches state of climate change report, kicks-off development of environment report

JAKARTA/VIRTUAL, 7 October 2021 – Today, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched its first State of Climate Change Report. The report provides an overall outlook on the state of climate change in the ASEAN region and outlines opportunities for cooperation and collaboration towards 2050 climate targets.

Published ahead of the global climate change conference in Glasgow this year, the report represents a milestone for ASEAN, signifying a renewed, bolder collective commitment towards global climate agenda.  

“The report is designed to inform and guide the region and ASEAN Member States towards ambitious climate change targets, through a framework for transparency and transformative action to mitigate and adapt to climate change,’’ said Kung Phoak, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

“The report also constitutes an important step towards an ASEAN climate action vision, which includes priority actions by 2030 and key enabling environment up to 2050,” he concluded.

“As the first global stocktaking will take place in 2023 to assess the collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement, it is highly meaningful that ASCCR has been launched, prior to such a critical juncture,” remarked Chiba Akira, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN.

As the COVID-19 pandemic struck during the development of the report, considerations on green and resilient recovery were taken into account to complement the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework as part of ASEAN’s post-pandemic response. This reaffirms the region’s commitment to alleviate the adverse impact of the COVID-19, and advance the implementation of regional and local priorities towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

In conjunction with the launch of the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report, ASEAN also kicks-off the development of the 6th ASEAN State of Environment Report, after the last one was published in 2017 as part of the commemoration of the Golden Anniversary of ASEAN.

“As the nature of environmental issues are constantly changing, the development of SOER6 is pivotal in equipping the ASEAN Member States with up-to-date information on the status and trends of the region’s environment,” said Deputy Secretary-General Kung Phoak.

“The Sixth ASEAN State of Environmental Report (SOER) is of the same importance as the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report. While climate change has now been elevated to the global agenda, traditional and local environmental issues, such as waste management and terrestrial and marine ecosystems, remain or have become even more serious for ASEAN countries,” said Ambassador Chiba Akira.

The report is expected to present a comprehensive review of the state and trends of the environment, the pressures on it and the drivers of those pressures, and the national and regional initiatives in place to address environmental concerns. It will also offer insights on the future direction of ASEAN cooperation on emerging environmental issues, and address the unique environmental challenges and opportunities of the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The development of the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report and the 6th ASEAN State of Environment Report was initiated and coordinated by the ASEAN Secretariat, together with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and national think tanks from ASEAN Member States, under the purview of the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment.

The initiatives were made possible with the support of the Japanese government through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.

View the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report here.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. The ASEAN Member States are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. On 31 December 2015, the ASEAN Community was formally established. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta. Contact: public@asean.org

Source: ASEAN Secretariat