Author: Haze Portal

JAKARTA, 2 March 2017 – In the framework of the annual review of European Union and ASEAN cooperation, known as the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC), the EU and ASEAN marked the beginning of a year dedicated to the 40th anniversary of their dialogue relations with the start of new cooperation programmes and a youth photo exhibition. The event highlighted the recent signature of two new EU-ASEAN programmes on sustainable use of peatlands and haze mitigation, as well as biodiversity conservation in ASEAN. At the same occasion, an award was handed over to the Indonesian winner of an EU-ASEAN Youth Photo Competition.

Secretary-General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh and EU Ambassador to ASEAN Francisco Fontan Pardo welcomed the celebrations today in the ASEAN Secretariat.

“The two new programmes on sustainable use of peatlands and biodiversity conservation further signify and strengthen the long-standing relationship between ASEAN and EU. They reflect the shared goals and commitment of ASEAN and EU in environmental protection and sustainable development,” said Secretary-General Minh.

Ambassador Fontan said: “It is a pleasure for me to launch the 40th anniversary of the EU-ASEAN partnership, which has promoted strong political, economic and social cooperation. Throughout this year, numerous events and activities will mark our anniversary. Today, I am glad to highlight some important aspects of our joint successful work: we are starting two new ambitious programmes aimed at protecting the environment and supporting the fight against climate change in ASEAN.”

With a budget of EUR 20 million, the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA | 2016-2019) programme aims to promote the sustainable management of peatlands in the ASEAN region and fight against transboundary haze pollution through collective actions, and sustain local livelihoods, and reduce the risk of fire and associated haze, which all contribute to global environmental management. It also contributes to the mitigation of carbon emissions from carbon-rich peatland areas, in addition to conservation of the unique peatland ecosystems biodiversity, which hosts highly endangered flora and fauna.

The second programme, Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP | 2016-2021), with EUR 10 million EU budget contribution, aims to enhance the conservation of biodiversity and effective management of protected areas in the ASEAN region. It will target the network of existing and potential ASEAN Heritage Parks to reduce biodiversity loss. The programme will be implemented in close coordination with the EU Delegation in Manila and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in Los Banos, the Philippines.

Highlighting the strong people-to-people aspect of EU-ASEAN relations, the EU Mission to ASEAN held an ASEAN-wide youth photo competition #PeopleofASEAN during early 2017 with one winner from each ASEAN Member State. Irianto Frederico Da Lopez from Indonesia received his award during the event.

The photo competition focused on citizens, with the broad theme “Connecting People”. This concept aligns with the fact that closer people-to-people contacts are a core component of the deepening EU-ASEAN partnership, and in line with the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint. Upholding “Unity in Diversity” as the common spirit for the people of both the EU and ASEAN, participants were asked to capture that spirit through their lens and to narrate it with a short caption. More than 700 photos were submitted and ten winners were selected according to their originality, creativity and their strong message. The judging process was conducted by EU Delegations in the region, including the EU Ambassador to ASEAN.

“The photo of Irianto Frederico Da Lopez, the winner of the competition in Indonesia, carries a strong message. Farmers face unique challenges, they have a key role in terms of food security – family farms are in fact feeding ASEAN. The European Union, through its specific programmes, supports farmers’ organisations and their work,” added the EU Ambassador to ASEAN.

A collection of winning and other short-listed photos from the competition will be exhibited at the ASEAN Secretariat lobby until 15 March.

CHIANG RAI, 24 February 2017 – ASEAN Ministers and representatives responsible for land, forest fires and haze from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam gathered in northern Thailand today to discuss transboundary haze pollution. At the sixth meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region (6th MSC Mekong), the said officials brought forth the Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action which set priorities for the work of the MSC Mekong countries in addressing transboundary haze pollution.

“Following the adoption of the Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation at the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-12) to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in August 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, it is now time for the implementation to take place, and I am very delighted to learn of the progress made within the Mekong sub-region,” said Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Department in his remark.

The MSC Mekong countries have all agreed to set priorities for the sub-region and pledged to work closely with each other and all interested international partners to address transboundary haze pollution.

Click here for the full Media Release of the meeting.

During an international forest governance session last month in Republic of the Congo, Indonesia highlighted its work with the UN-REDD Programme in tackling governance challenges through participatory governance assessments for REDD+.  

The joint forest governance session on 23 October in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo was organized by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the European Forestry Institute, Profor and the UN-REDD Programme to raise the profile of governance in REDD+ discussions. Mr. Mas Achmad Santosa, Head of the working Group for Legal Review and Law Enforcement in the Indonesian REDD+ Task Force and Deputy of the President’s Delivery Unit (UKP4) gave a presentation on Indonesia’s REDD+ governance challenges while also providing an update of what has been done to date to mitigate some of these risks.

During his intervention, Mr. Santosa announced that Indonesia’s UKP4 Unit and the Ministry of Forestry are now ready to use the Participatory Governance Assessment (PGA) data that the country has prepared for since May 2011, and collected since August of this year.  

The UN-REDD Programme currently has four PGA pilots, and Indonesia is by far the most advanced.  Through extensive stakeholder contributions and input from stakeholders at the national level as well as eight provincial working groups (in Aceh, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Papua and West Papua), the PGA process has resulted in stakeholders agreeing on priority governance issues. As such, the PGA is a joint effort to tackle priority governance issues in Indonesia, such as mitigating corruption risks and ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ participation and rights in the REDD+ process.

Mr. Santosa explained to the participants of the joint session that the PGA in Indonesia has now gathered data based on joint decisions on what areas to collect governance data, which indicators to use and which methods to apply for data collection and validation. The data provides: baseline information on the quality of governance and preparedness for REDD+ implementation; a REDD+ governance safeguard road map; and policy recommendations outlining options to strengthen REDD+ governance structures and practices in the provinces. This data has been so well received that the REDD+ Task Force has recently agreed to use the final results of the participatory governance assessment project to inform policy decision making processes on REDD+ governance safeguards.

During an interview with the UN-REDD Programme after the joint session, Mr. Santosa re-emphasized the commitments from the REDD+ Task Force and Ministry of Forestry to include the PGA results in the national REDD+ process in Indonesia, and that the PGA currently is incorporated in the REDD+ Task Force system.  Further, he said a key role for the government will be to accelerate this governance process, stressing anti-corruption measures and the participation of stakeholders and freedom of information law.

The sustainability of the PGA is the next step of the Government of Indonesia in this process, and Mr. Santosa recognized the need to further integrate the PGA into government plans and programs. The ownership of all stakeholders in this process was highlighted, particularly that of civil society, which is playing a very significant role in the PGA process. Mr. Santosa also stated that governance safeguards will be an important area of work of the new REDD+ agency in Indonesia once it’s established, recognizing that the PGA results should also be owned and used by the Ministry of Forestry, as well as other relevant ministries. When asked what he learned from the PGA process in Indonesia, Mr. Santosa said he was grateful for this experienced and was reminded through the session that safeguards are a priority for implementing REDD+. He said he was also struck by the importance the participants placed on benefit sharing arrangements.

After this governance session in Brazzaville, Mr. Santosa returned to Jakarta to participate in a national PGA consultation, where stakeholders from the national level and 30 locations throughout the eight PGA provinces gathered to validate the PGA baseline data before a more formal launch in December of this year.