ASEAN stresses environmentalism

The four-day meeting focused on the current pressing environmental issues facing the region. The key outcomes of the meeting included the final drafts of the ASEAN joint statements on Biological Diversity and Climate Change.

Both statements will be presented to ASEAN Leaders at the forthcoming ASEAN Summit in the Lao capital of Vientiane in September.

The statements are intended to ensure ASEAN’s strong commitment on conserving biodiversity and on synergising efforts to tackle climate change.

The joint statements will be read at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cancun, Mexico later this year in December, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP-22 in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in November, which are both major international environmental forums.