Senior policymakers from across all 10 ASEAN Member States - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - participated in the ASEAN COP26 Climate Dialogue on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies (LTS). The event marked an important milestone as the first joint event with ASEAN under a new ASEAN-UK Cooperation Framework on COP26.
The ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change national focal points or their delegates from each ASEAN Member State gave an update on their climate pledges under the Paris Agreement. They reflected on the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on NDC and LTS development. A major theme of the discussions was the importance of NDCs and their role in driving ambition, setting direction, and supporting domestic.
Climate change is a broad challenge, particularly with a wide variety of national circumstances across ASEAN. This reaffirms the need for effective cross-government coordination, and ASEAN collaboration on common issues like carbon pricing, nature-based solutions, capacity building and the energy transition.
Day 1 (24 September): Developing and Enhancing NDCs in ASEAN countries to meet the Paris Agreement
The first day of the Climate Dialogue showcased the importance of capacity, transparency and legal frameworks in successfully implementing NDCs. The benefits and need for putting climate at the heart of COVID-19 economic recovery plans was a key element of the day's presentations by the UK, IRENA, NDC Partnership and ADB. They recognised how international support must adapt to new challenges and economic realities posed by COVID-19.
It was identified that even though political attention, finance and capacity has shifted from climate change to COVID-19, it is crucial that this opportunity enables a green and resilient recovery, and this can be done in part through more ambitious NDCs. It was also noted that carbon pricing, increased deployment of renewable energy and nature play an important role in delivering ambitious NDCs across the ASEAN region.
Day 2 (25 September): Setting long term low emissions development strategies in support of the Paris Agreement goals
Jointly hosted by the UK and Singapore, on day 2 of the Dialogue, the UK shared its experience in setting a net zero target as the first major economy to do so. Deputy COP26 Envoy Alison Campbell highlighted the benefits that LTS provide in sending strong market signals to industry, and informing short-term economic decision-making, and highlighted UK support for ASEAN governments to model low-carbon pathways for the future, through the 2050 Calculator.
Singapore's Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, Joseph Teo, shared Singapore's experience developing its Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) - the first of its kind in ASEAN. Singapore emphasised how important robust institutional arrangements and a whole-of-government approach are to galvanise a long-term climate vision. Engagement from industry and citizens has also been crucial in implementing Singapore's LEDS. The UK and Singapore both emphasised that LTS is not a burden, but an opportunity for new growth and job opportunities, sending a clear market signal that businesses respond to.
At the Dialogue, ASEAN representatives discussed the various challenges faced in adopting LTS, and the value of leveraging existing climate policies and tools for developing future LTS, while the UK, IRENA and 2050 Pathways Platform highlighted global support on offer.
In conclusion, discussions over the course of the Dialogue show the importance of enabling a regional approach, and how the role of ASEAN can enhance collective ambition on climate. Forums such as this can enable value exchanges of knowledge and build towards strong co-operation and coordination across ASEAN Member States and their international partners.
The next five years are critical for enhanced climate action, and this is especially true in Southeast Asia, which will suffer some of the worst and most immediate impacts of climate change. We must work together to overcome this challenge. The UK's COP26 Presidency stresses international collaboration to achieve greater climate ambition. We look forward to working closely with ASEAN and its Member States on future joint events on nature, adaptation resilience, energy and green finance, and to collaborate on achieving an ambitious, shared outcome at COP26.
