ASEAN-CRN focal points and partners gather to discuss and learn about adaptive and mitigation approaches in agriculture to achieve national climate targets and climate finance opportunities.
Bangkok — Thailand’s Department of Agriculture (DOA) in its capacity as ASEAN-CRN chair, joined with the Philippines Department Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) in hosting a “Knowledge Exchange Event and Partners Meeting” in Bangkok, Thailand, from 28 – 30 March 2023. The hybrid event convened more than 50 participants, comprising the ASEAN-CRN Focal Points from the ASEAN Member States (AMS), development organizations, academic and research institutes, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations to advance the discussion on decarbonization strategies in agriculture.
Mr Joell H. Lales, Director, Department Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), the Philippines, as incoming Chair of the ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agricultural Research and Development (ATWGARD), underlined the urgency of the climate crisis, saying: “For years now, the scientific community has warned us that the world we are living in is slowly changing for the worse if we do not do something about the effects of climate change.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report projected that if global warming overshoots 1.5 degrees Celsius, it will significantly impact our ecosystems, people, settlements, and infrastructure. It will also severely affect our food and water security which will hinder the United Nations’ efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Opening the event, Mr Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, Director-General, Department of Agriculture (DOA), Thailand and the ASEAN-CRN Chair, further underscored the importance of transitioning toward climate-resilient agriculture. “To reduce the impacts of climate change, Thailand has been looking into adaptation and mitigation measures and the role the agriculture sector can play. For many years, Thailand has been working on developing the Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER) and national carbon credit baseline. We are keen to share our experience with the other AMS.” He also highlighted the need to come together, “As the current ASEAN-CRN Chair, Thailand is proud to facilitate the exchange of knowledge at forums like this, which is crucial in fostering discussion and finding solutions for more efficient implementation,” he added.
At the end of the event, it was expected that:
- Understanding of the utilization of agromet, climate information services, and digitalization of information as well as potential use of agro-insurance in accessing loss and damage funds was enhanced;
- Knowledge on how agriculture can help achieve national climate targets increased;
- Potential collaborations among partners of ASEAN-CRN were identified;
- Finance and implementation options to take forward Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) in the region in conjunction with the Southeast Asian Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Grant and other initiatives were identified.
During the event, the e-learning course of “Climate Change Negotiations for Agriculture Stakeholders” was launched. Developed by the ASEAN AgriTrade project and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the course is designed to onboard and enhance the capacity of ASEAN delegations on climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework. To enroll the course please visit https://bit.ly/3Z68bx3.
The event was supported by the GIZ ASEAN AgriTrade project with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP); and Mekong Institute (MI) on behalf of the ASEAN AgriTrade Project.
A full report on the event will is now being developed while event photos and PPT slides can be accessed at: the Event Documentation page in this link.
