20 June 2024 | Phnom Penh, Sun & Moon Riverside Hotel, Cambodia
Supported by the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI)
Background
Southeast Asian countries signed the Paris Agreement to limit the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. They recognise that agriculture contributes to climate change while offering solutions to reach net zero targets. Since September 2022, the EU, through the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI), has supported the development of the ASEAN Guidelines for Carbon Neutrality in Agriculture. This comprehensive sectoral study facilitated the design of the guidelines, where priority actions were identified using climate foresight planning. The sectoral study feeds into the overall ASEAN Carbon Neutrality Strategy, which comprises the sectors of Energy, Transport and Agriculture.
On 20 June 2024, a validation workshop for the seven (7) priority areas and thirty-two (32) recommended actions deriving from the ASEAN Carbon Neutrality Guidelines in Agriculture took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The validation workshop was embedded in the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (CRN) Regional Knowledge Exchange Event “Climate-resilient approaches in regional commodity value chains”, held from 19 to 21 June and organised by GIZ Cambodia.
The overall event was a collaboration of E-READI, the GIZ project Strengthening Climate Resilience in Agricultural Systems (CRAS), the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (CRN), the Foundation of Netherlands Volunteers / Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV Vietnam), the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and other partners. This event report focuses on validating and prioritising the priority areas and recommended actions identified in the ASEAN Carbon Neutrality Guidelines in Agriculture Priority Actions.
The study was conducted with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Technical Working Group for Agricultural Research and Development (ATWGARD) and supports the ‘EU-ASEAN Dialogue on the Carbon Neutrality Strategies of Agriculture and Forestry in ASEAN’. The study is linked to other initiatives under E-READI, including Long-Term Strategies (LTS), Climate Finance, and Natural Capital. The ASEAN Member States (AMS) endorsed the study after it was presented at the 25 April ATWGARD Meeting. During the validation workshop, the guidelines’ key priority areas and recommended actions to support the dash for ASEAN’s net-zero emissions targets by 2050 were introduced for validation and prioritisation.
Objectives & Results
The regional exchange event provided a platform for public and private actors from different ASEAN Member States to share and discuss experiences and recommendations on climate-resilient approaches for the selected commodities. In addition, the regional exchange event allowed:
– Facilitating engagement between regional public and private stakeholders of climate-resilient crops (with a focus on cashew and coffee)
– Increasing knowledge of climate-resilient methods with producers from other countries
– Showcasing innovative approaches for the selected commodities
– Understanding climate change policies that impact the supply chain and demand
– Validating the ASEAN Carbon Neutrality Guidelines for Agriculture
– Understanding how climate-resilient crops can support ASEAN climate change strategies towards net zero 2050
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