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
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.
