ASEAN-EU plans joint statement on climate change
Senior officials from ASEAN and the European Union are working on a joint statement on climate change to show their solidarity and commitment to the Paris Agreement.
“The document will be finalised soon, and the announcement will be made at the post-ministerial meeting,” said a senior official of an ASEAN country.
The joint statement will reaffirm the two groups’ strong commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement, which all ASEAN members have signed. It will also call on all partners to keep up the momentum created by the accord’s adoption in 2015.
Last month, Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation submitted a proposal to parliament recommending the ratification of the Paris Agreement, which aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Parliament is expected to approve ratification soon. All other ASEAN members ratified the agreement in September 2016.
The agreement was adopted as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on December 12, 2015. It also seeks to prevent global temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius beyond pre-industrial levels.
The joint statement is significant because it will be the first time that both sides agreed to confirm their commitment to the climate accord and intensify technical cooperation. “After the US left the Paris agreement, the EU wants ASEAN to show their unity,” said the official.
ASEAN-EU ties have improved considerably following the US withdrawal from the Paris accord and Trans Pacific Partnership. The EU is looking into new areas of cooperation with ASEAN after expressing dismay over the attitude of the Trump administration. This is the first time that the two sides will share a common commitment to a transnational issue. The joint statement will be approved by ASEAN foreign ministers, and EU Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini will attend the post-ministerial meeting scheduled for August 7 in Manila.
The 2017 ASEAN chair, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, has already invited the EU to attend the 12th East Asia Summit as his guest in November at Clark Airbase. The surprise move was praised by ASEAN members as the EU had been heaping criticism on Duterte’s anti-drug campaign and alleged human rights violations. Canada has also been invited.
The EU and ASEAN will reaffirm their commitment to address the adverse effects of climate change on human and animal health, natural ecosystems and other social and economic areas that threaten the developmental gains of the global community.
Developing countries that ratified the agreement will be able to receive financial and technological aid and opportunities for capacity-building from international organisations to fight climate change.
Myanmar was among 175 countries to sign the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016. The agreement has 197 signatories, with 155 ratifying the accord as of last week.
For the record, Myanmar accounts for 0.01 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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