25TH ASEAN SUMMIT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

ASEAN JOINT STATEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE 2014

WE

, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the

Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the

Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom

of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member States of ASEAN, on the

occasion of the 25th ASEAN Summit;

REMEMBERING

our commitments made in the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on Realisation of

the ASEAN Community by 2015 (2014);

ASEAN Action Plan on Joint Response to ClimateChange (2012);

the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Climate Change to the 17th

Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7thSession of the COP serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (2011); the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Joint Response to Climate Change (2010); the ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change to the 15th Session of the COP to the UNFCCC and the 5th Session of the COP serving as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (2009); the ASEAN Declaration on the 13th

session of COP to the UNFCCC and the 3rd session of the CMP to the Kyoto Protocol (2007); and the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability (2007);

NOTING the wide ranging and collaborative research and policy development work in recent

years by ASEAN Member States on sustainable development, land use and landscapes,

and on forest conservation and governance, as recognised, for example, at the Forests Asia

Summit 2014;

REITERATING

our commitment to the UNFCCC, and its principles and provisions, as a framework for international collaboration on climate change mitigation and adaptation;

REAFFIRMING

the UNFCCC’s core principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and

that developed country Parties should take the lead in combating climate change and

the adverse effects thereof in accordance with this principle, while agreeing that renewed

efforts by all Parties to the UNFCCC are required to ensure mitigation goals are met;

WELCOMING

the Warsaw Framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation

(REDD+), and the financial support provided by the United States,Norway and t

he United Kingdom, as an important outcome of COP19 and a critical step in

better valuing and protecting global forest carbon stocks;

PRAISING

strengthened efforts to mobilize the long term financing commitments from

developed countries to support developing countries and least developed countries in

pursuing ambitious mitigation and adaptation efforts;

RECOGNIZING

the United Nations Climate Summit held in New York on 23 September 2014;

HIGHLIGHTING

the urgency with which renewed mitigation efforts are required given the

latest reports prepared for the International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth

Assessment Report (AR5) predict that, without additional mitigation, global mean surface

FINAL

temperatures will increase in 2100 from 3.7°C to 4.8°C compared to pre industrial levels,

and that substantial reductions beyond 2020 will be required to limit temperature change to

2°C relative to pre industrial levels;

POINTING

to the clear evidence of climate change in our region over the past four decades,

which has major consequences for agriculture, energy supply and livelihoods;

REEMPHASISING

that climate change is already having significant impacts causing major

loss and damage throughout the ASEAN region, and disproportionately affecting developing

countries, with the experiences with Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and Typhoon Haiyan in the

Philippines providing stark evidence of the destructive impacts and disaster prone nature of

the region that cannot be ignored;

RECOGNISING

the important role that forest conserva tion and sustainable management of

forests throughout ASEAN will play in helping to mitigate global climate change, reduce the

risks of extreme weather events and other climatedriven disasters, and provide sustainable

economic livelihood opportunities for local communities;

WELCOMING

decision 1/CP.17 of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in which

Parties decided to launch a process to develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an

agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties by 2015 to be implemented from 2020; and recognising that the 2015 global agreement must be balanced and comprehensive, including key areas of the Durban mandate such as mitigation,adaptation and means of implementation;

ACKNOWLEDGING

that universal participation is an essential ingredient for greater ambition in the 2015 agreement and in that regard, all Parties have a common obligation to

submit an intended nationally determined contribution as part of the 2015 global agreement,

while rec allingthe principle of common but differentiated responsibilities;

EXPRESSING

the view that technology transfer, capacity building and financial assistance

from developed countries to developing countries are vital to supporting

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and other activities on climate change effectively and efficiently in the long run;

VALUING

the importance of pursuing climate change mitigation and adaptation actions that

are consistent with broader sustainable development goals to the achievement of food

security and poverty alleviation throughout the ASEAN region;

RECOGNIZING

the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Multi Sectoral

Framework on Climate Change: Agricultur e and Forestry towards Food Security (AFCC), the ASEANGerman Program on Climate Change: Agriculture, Forestry and related sectors

(GAP CC) through newly proposed ‘Forestry and Climate Change (FORCC)’, and the

ASEAN Swiss Partnership Programme on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC)

endorsed by the 36th Meeting of ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (36th AMAF);

ACKNOWLEDGING

the role of regional forums, including ASEAN, in supporting countries tocollaborate on the local, regional and global challenges of climate change;

DO HEREBY DECLARE TO:

1.

CALL

upon all Parties to the UNFCCC, including ASEAN Member States, to

take note of the findings in the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report;

2.

URGE

Parties to take immediate action on ratifying the Doha Amendments to the

second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol;

3.

AFFIRM

that increasing pre-2020 ambition must be primarily achieved through the

implementation of the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and the outcomes

of the Bali Action Plan in accord ance with principles and provisions of the Convention, with

developed country Parties taking the lead;

4.

CONTINUE

to investigate increased renewable energy and energy efficiency potential

throughout the ASEAN region in recognition that such efforts can be the fastest and

most efficient way of closing the “ambition gap”;

5.

CALL

upon all Parties to the UNFCCC, including ASEAN Member States, to work

effectively and in good faith to adopt a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed

outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all by the end of 2015, and to

table their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions well in advance of COP-21 in Paris

in December 2015 or by first quarter 2015 by those Parties ready to do so;

6.

URGE

developed countries to continue to show leadership, recognising historical

responsibilities, including by coming forward early with ambitious Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions by March 2015;

7.

AFFIRM

that we will put forward our Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

well in advance of COP-21 in Paris, or by first quarter 2015 for those Parties ready to do so,

as mandated by the decisions reached at COP-19 in Warsaw. These Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions will reflect our diverse national circumstances and be made in

accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and contribute to

a 2015 agreement that is under the Convention and applicable to all Parties;

8.

REQUEST

support for developing countries and least developed countries in the

context of paragraph 2(d) of decision 1/C.19 in the preparation of Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions, and to pursue low carbon development opportunities that can

enable new mitigation efforts, especially focusing on renewable energy development, energy efficiency,and clean fossil energy technologies and forestry, to be included in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions;

9.

URGE

developed countries to provide assistance to ASEAN Member States to enhance protection of the remaining forests,biodiversity and ecosystem services that can contribute to ambitious forest conservation and sustainable forest management goals in ASEAN Member States’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions;

10.

URGE

all Parties to the UNFCCC to recognise the extreme vulnerability of ASEAN

Member States to climate change, and therefore the importance of adaptation activities and

enhancing capacity in the 2015 agreement;

11.

SUPPORT

the notion that apart from mitigation, contributions could also include

adapt ation, in the context that all Parties would submit intended contributions which are

nationally determined;

12.

ENCOURAGE

Parties to the UNFCCC to develop adaptation strategies that are consistent with, and address the threats identified in, the IPCC AR5 Working Group II report

on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation;

13.

UNDERTAKE

concerted efforts to systematically rehabilitate our region’s mangrove

forests, in recognition of their critically important roles in mitigation and adaptation,

particularly their provision of disaster risk reduction services by minimizing the impacts of

coastal storms and flooding;

14.

ENCOURAGE

developed countries to recognise the potential to support the ASEAN

region to continue transition to renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency, as part of efforts to embrace low carbon futures;

15.

ENCOURAGE

developed countries to increase commitments, in terms of capacity building, technical assistance, technological transfer and financing, for developing countries

and least developed countries to pursue ambitious mitigation and adaptation objectives in

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions;

16.

ENCOURAGE

developed countries to accelerate their contributions to theGreen Climate Fund, to mobilise it as a matter of priority, noting that the distribution process should be effective, predictable and easy to access;

17.

AFFIRM

that finalisation and operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Mechanism is of urgent priority, and welcome the application of insurance oriented financial mechanisms,

such as crop insurance, throughout the ASEAN region with the support of

developed countries;

18.

AGREE

that enhanced financing from developed countries is critical for least developed countries and developing countries to pursue green economy pathways that can

preserve forest carbon sinks and to adapt to the emerging risks of climate change;

19.

ENCOURAGE

developed countries to prioritise financial and technological support for developing countries and least developed countries to rapidly pursue decentralized renew

able energy supply options, which is critical to allow poor communities currently

lacking electricity to pursue a clean energy future;

20.

ENHANCE

the potential of REDD+ to contribute to green development by protecting the remaining global forest carbon stock s and biodiversity resources, enhancing forest

carbon stocks and thereby increasing carbon removal reversing land degradation,

providing green products by sustaining management of forests improving the livelihoods of the rural poor, and aiding adaptation and mitigation efforts;

21.

ENCOURAGE

ASEAN Member States to strengthen existing regional collaborations,including in REDD+ readiness activities in order to capitalise opportunities under REDD+

framework and future climate regime, recognizing differences innational circumstances and

arrangement of REDD+ and/or forest related programmes in individual ASEAN Member

States.

22.

ENCOURAGE

all Parties to the UNFCCC to ensure that sustainable REDD+financing mechanisms are developed and implemented in order to enhance the potential forREDD+ to contribute significantly to global mitigation objectives;

23.

URGE

all Parties to progress in results-based REDD+ financing, taking intoconsideration conditions relating to forest protection and the rights of indigenous peoples

and local communities, and the principle that local communities and governments should be

supported in promoting genuine efforts to halt deforestation;

24.

REITERATE

countries with REDD+ implementation, including the incorporation of non-carbon benefits

into systems and activities, taking into account different phases of REDD+ implementation in developing countries;

25.

ENCOURAGE

developed countries to fully implement obligations regarding land use,land use change and forestry, noting that all future actions or negotiations concerning land use land use, change and forestry should take into account the full range of ecosystem services provided by forests and wetlands;

26.

ENCOURAGE

the establishment of a network of research centres in ASEAN Member States to share knowledge and lessons learnt on climate adaptable agriculturalproducts, which will enable us to combat the impacts of climate change on agricultural production patterns and promote regional food security;

27.

INCREASE

our cooperation to improve our collective capacity to deal with climate and weather management, including undertaking collaborative research to better under stand

how climate change will influence the weather systems of the ASEAN region and

technology development on climate outlooks and forecasting to better manage risks, building the capacity of decision makers from different sectors and different geographic

scales to link climate knowledge with humanitarian and development action, and developing regional-scale, high resolution climate models for the ASEAN region;

28.

STRENGTHEN

ASEAN rapid response capacity to be more efficient and effective in the event of natu

ral disasters through existing mechanisms under the ASEAN Agreement on

Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER);

29.

STRESS

the importance of fast capitalization of the Adaptation Fund to continue funding priority projects since countries are alrea dy affected by climate change;

30.

SEEK

assistance in the form of technology transfer, for both the public and private sectors to support strengthened mitigation and adaptation efforts, which should be easily

transferrable, subject to low costs and exempt fro munreasonable patent fees;

31.

REQUEST

ongoing support from developed countries to ASEAN Member States to better understand, develop and implement Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) process;

32.

CONTINUE

to promote ASEAN’s experiences in other regional forums to progress collaborative efforts on climate change;

33.

COMMIT

ourselves to pursuing a successful COP20 as a crucial step towards elaborating a 2015 agreement at COP21 for the post-2020 period.Adopted in Nay Pyi Taw, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, this Twelfth Day of November

in the Year Two Thousand and Fourteen.