Readout of the 5th EU-ASEAN High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change

Senior Officials from the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) senior officials on the environment (ASOEN) convened yesterday for the fifth EU-ASEAN High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change in Bogor, Indonesia, and online. The dialogue was hosted by Indonesia and co-chaired by the Philippines and the European Commission. Part of the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership, the dialogue aims to enhance cooperation between the EU and ASEAN on shared regional and global challenges related to protecting the environment and mitigating climate change.

Both sides exchanged on latest policy developments in the respective regions. The ASEAN Secretariat and the Philippines presented key updates on the 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship’s priorities on environment, ASEAN cooperation on the environment and climate change, as well as highlighted relevant upcoming priorities and events. EU representatives provided information on progress in the implementation of the European Green Deal such as recent initiatives to accelerate the transition to a circular and climate-neutral economy. Both sides also reviewed EU cooperation programmes with ASEAN such as the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform and the ASEAN Green Team Europe Initiative, launched at the third EU-ASEAN Dialogue on Sustainable Development in November 2021, which will pave the way towards closer collaboration on green and sustainable development.

As regards the multilateral agenda, the European officials stressed the importance of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28) in Dubai and of taking rapid steps to implement the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022 at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) towards a first stocktaking at CBD COP 16. ASEAN and EU representatives agreed to work together closely towards successful outcomes of these meetings that will allow the global community to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and turn the tide on biodiversity loss. They also discussed the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 6), the ongoing negotiations for a Global Plastics Agreement and follow-up action on the March 2023 UN Water Conference.

Planning for the first EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change

Building on the strengthened engagement at senior official level through the High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change, both sides agreed that the first EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Environment will take place virtually later in 2023. The Ministerial Meeting will provide a high-level political steer to guide future dialogue and cooperation.