SIEM REAP, 26 May 2023 – The 3rd ASEAN Climate Change Partnership Conference (ACCPC), convened by the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC), focused on strengthening ASEAN’s efforts in preparation for the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (UNFCCC COP 28) that will be held in November 2023 in Dubai, UAE.

As one of the most important modalities for ASEAN to increase its influence at the upcoming UNFCCC COP 28, the AWGCC along with relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies and partners shared their insights on potential collaboration and entry points that ASEAN might explore to enhance ASEAN’s visibility at the UNFCCC COP 28.

The 3rd ACCPC also provided a platform for the AWGCC to exchange information with relevant partners and other ASEAN sectoral bodies to ensure well-coordinated and integrated approaches to address climate change in the region. In his remarks, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. H.E. Ekkaphab Phanthavong stressed the significance of ACCPC as the embodiment of ASEAN commitment in the comprehensive efforts to combat climate change and in fostering collaboration to address the issue.

“There is where ACCPC comes into play, the conference nurtures a multi-sector and multi-dialogue consultative platform on the climate action in the region to synergise, harmonise, and identify key efforts of our cooperation to strengthen our partnerships. This year’s conference is an important stepping stone to promote collective understanding among ASEAN sectoral bodies and relevant partners of the key issues relating to the global climate agenda and how they relate to national and regional priorities,” he emphasised.

The German Embassy’s Counsellor of Development Cooperation, Oliver Hoppe, affirmed the strengthened partnership between ASEAN and Germany in implementing ambitious climate actions through the ASEAN-German Climate Action Programme (CAP) as implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. “Together we recognise the need to enhance capacity and collaboration in cross-sectoral manners. This will involve other sectoral bodies under ASEAN, development partners, and interested external stakeholders,” he stated.

Representing the AWGCC Chair, Ahmad Farid Mohammed, Deputy Undersecretary, Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change of Malaysia closed the event by thanking the participants for their active participation. “This platform has played its role to facilitate discussion and collaboration in cross-sectoral manners that involved other sectoral bodies under ASEAN, development partners, and external stakeholders to explore potential cooperation in enhancing the role of ASEAN in addressing climate change and its visibility prior to COP 28,” he concluded.

The outcomes of the 3rd ACCPC were in line with the key objectives of the newly commenced ASEAN-German CAP. At the CAP’s Inception Workshop and 1st Project Steering Committee, ASEAN Member States provided direction to ensure smooth planning and implementation of the project to enhance ASEAN’s roles and visibility at international climate fora. Key achievements of the meeting included CAP’s support to ASEAN in preparation for UNFCCC COP 28 through initiatives such as the organisation of ASEAN side events, negotiation trainings, and capacity building.

The 3rd ACCPC was convened after three years of postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event took place back-to-back with the Inception Workshop and the 1st Project Steering Committee of ASEAN-German Climate Action Programme (CAP). The events were hosted by Cambodia with support from the Federal Government of Germany.

###

About ACCPC

The ASEAN AWGCC believes that strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation and collaboration on mainstreaming climate change to ensure well-coordinated and integrated approach to address climate change in the region is critical. Embodying the multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral nature of climate change, the ASEAN Climate Change Partnership Conference (ACCPC) serves as a forum to facilitate cross-sectoral discussions and collaboration involving multiple sectoral bodies under ASEAN, development partners, and interested external stakeholders to explore potential cooperation in enhancing the work of ASEAN to address climate change and its visibility in international climate fora.

About ASEAN-German Climate Action Programme (CAP)

The ASEAN-German Climate Action Programme (CAP) is a project supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in close coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat to promote political dialogue and capacity development for climate change mitigation (GHG reduction) and adaptation within ASEAN, thereby, strengthening the organisation as a climate policy player as well as the cooperation among AMS. The project aims to improve cooperation within ASEAN in order to implement ambitious climate policies.

Website: Implementing Ambitious Climate Actions in Southeast Asia (giz.de)