Toward Developing the Guidance on National Long-term Roadmap to Synergise Mitigation and Adaptation in ASEAN Countries: Workshop Proceedings

Since the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2021, global society, including Asian countries, has entered the phase of how to implement a long-term transition roadmap to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Given vital needs for the development in many Asian countries, a transition toward net-zero emissions needs stronger synergies of climate resilience and low carbon development. To this end, a workable long-term roadmap is essential to provide clear signals for the markets and citizens to mobilise finance for the development and diffusion of key technologies. Such a roadmap will greatly help achieve multi-dimensional transformation of the society that is necessary for the transition toward a resilient net-zero world. It is thus vital to involve stakeholders of, among others, governments, scientists, business/industries and youth to make a long-term roadmap more effective and inclusive.

The Chairman’s statement of the 25th ASEAN-Japan Summit held on 12 November 2022 states that ASEAN welcomed Japan’s support for the development of the ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030 (ACCSAP) to achieve the prioritized actions until 2030 that were identified in the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report (ASCCR), and further encouraged Japan’s support for the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change in Brunei Darussalam. The ACCSAP is expected to be a reference of regional strategy for climate change to facilitate the implementation of climate actions toward ASEAN’s long-term climate aspiration.

The ACCSAP, a regional climate change blueprint until 2030, aims to generate stronger synergies by more effective cross-sectoral coordination or integration among key sectors, such as energy, agriculture and forestry, transport, infrastructure, disaster risk reduction and finance. National targets and actions elaborated in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) will surely serve as the basis of the regional climate change countermeasures covering mitigation and adaptation. From the long-term perspective, it is necessary to further address the synergy between mitigation and adaptation, and the development of science-based policies to design a more feasible and effective roadmap for the society transformation in a sustainable manner.

With such a background, this workshop aimed to conduct a scoping of the new project with various stakeholders in the ASEAN region and beyond. The first day (Day 1: 29 March 2023) focused on the scoping of a study on the guidance of national long-term (2050 and beyond) roadmap that synergises mitigation and adaptation to achieve a resilient net-zero society in ASEAN. Day 1 invited various stakeholders from national governments, think-tanks, business/industries, and youth groups to understand their opinions and expectations for the long-term roadmap development. The second day (Day 2) conducted a closed consultation meeting on the ASEAN’s Climate Change Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030 (ACCSAP), with a focus on its purpose, scope, and overall implementation plan by stocktaking the current situation and needs in the region.