ASEM6 Declaration on Climate Change

Helsinki, 10-11 September 2006

We, Heads of State and Government from thirteen Asian nations, twenty-five European nations and the President of the European Commission, gathered in Helsinki on 10 and 11

September 2006 for the 6th Asia-Europe Meeting,

• Recognising that climate change poses a serious threat to sustainable development and to the future of our planet;
• Concerned of the increasing scientific evidence of the adverse impacts of climate change and the risk of increase of sea level rise, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and other adverse impacts of climate change;
• Underlining the ultimate objective and principles and commitments of the UnitedNations' Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol and our commitment to their full implementation;
• Acknowledging that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation and participation in an effective and appropriate international response, in accordance with the principles of the Convention, and recognising that ASEM partners have a crucial role in shaping and forging long-term policies as well as immediate actions for mitigation and adaptation measures;
• Recognising the legitimate priority needs of developing countries for the achievement ofsustainable economic growth and eradication of poverty;
• and building on the results of ASEM5;
• Bearing in mind that a key priority of ASEM is to take forward the dialogue on globalissues of common concern, and that cooperation under this partnership is without prejudice to the outcome of the discussions on climate change in other fora; Decide to issue the following declaration:

The Need for International Action

         1. We are committed to act with resolve and urgency to meet interrelated multiple goals of addressing climate change, reducing air pollution and improving the global environment while contributing to sustainable development and synergies with energy policy goals.

         2. Acknowledging that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation and participation in an effective and appropriate international response, in accordance with the principles of the Convention, we are determined to respond to climate change through international cooperation, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention. We pledge to work together to improve access to sustainable energy services in order to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

         3. Noting that ASEM countries are Parties to the Convention and its Protocol, we are determined to implement our commitments under the Convention and its Protocol. We acknowledge the actions that are being implemented and planned by Annex I ASEM Parties in order to meet their UNFCCC and Kyoto commitments. We appreciate the important policies, programmes and measures implemented voluntarily in Non-Annex I ASEM Parties to achieve sustainable development, which have contributed to mitigating climate change. We will cooperate to further implement the Convention and its Protocol including through strengthening the capacity of and providing financial and technical assistance to ASEM developing countries in accordance with relevant provisions of the Convention and its Protocol.

         4. We reaffirm that the Convention and its Protocol provide the appropriate international framework to develop further actions against climate change. We welcome the outcome of the Montreal climate conferences and are determined to work for success in Nairobi and at other forthcoming UNFCCC conferences. We are committed to cooperating further to advance the Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change under the Convention, as this provides important opportunities to enhance the implementation of the Convention and to exchange experiences and analyse strategic approaches to address climate change. We are committed to ensuring a successful outcome of our discussions on further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol while securing that there is no gap between the first and the second commitment periods. We also look forward to a successful outcome of the review of the Protocol to be initiated at the Nairobi climate conference.

Harnessing Technology and Investments for Climate-Friendly Solutions 

       5. We recognise that climate change and security of energy supply are interrelated. We foresee that very significant resources, an estimated USD 6,3 trillion^[1],will be invested in the energy sector in ASEM countries by 2030 and see this as a challenge but also as an opportunity. We will cooperate to promote development, transfer and deployment of low carbon technology and access by developing ASEM countries to cleaner and climate friendly technologies, without overlooking any relevant option, be it existing or new. We are committed to enhancing energy efficiency and scaling up the use of new and renewable energy, adapted to local circumstances. We also emphasise that in the longer term technological breakthroughs will be required, welcoming that further possibilities are being explored. We value existing bilateral, regional, and global partnerships and look forward to further enhancement of broad international collaboration in research, development, transfer, and deployment of climate-friendly technologies.

       6. Encouraged by existing win-win opportunities of environmentally sound investments, we underscore the need to integrate climate concerns into national sustainable development policies, strategies and programmes. We will work with international financing and development cooperation institutions to encourage innovative financing options to stimulate investment in clean energy and development.

       7. We stress that market-based mechanisms have a great potential to help transfer, deployment and diffusion of climate-friendly solutions and technology, the Clean Development Mechanism as well as emissions trading and Joint Implementation being examples of such mechanisms. We share the common recognition that the implementation of the Kyoto mechanisms should be enhanced with a view to making full use of their potential to contribute to achieving the goals of the Climate Convention, and that future use of the Kyoto mechanisms should build on this experience and be reformed in the light of the architecture of the future framework.

Adaptation and other Climate Change Related Challenges 

      8. Bearing in mind that all countries are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, we underline the importance of adaptation. We welcome increased international attention to this vulnerability and to the need for adaptation to climate change for developing countries, particularly in the least developed countries. We call upon incorporating climate risks and adaptation strategies into national development strategies and policies, and we will foster international cooperation that can help assess impacts and vulnerabilities, build adaptive capacities, and support adaptation actions.

      9. We commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation among ASEM partners to exchange information and early warnings on natural disasters, including those that arise from climate change.

    10. We stress the need to complement climate change policies with actions to combat deforestation and note the Chairman’s Statements on illegal logging at earlier ASEM meetings.^[2]We also emphasise the need for the sustainable management of forests and oceans as well as other terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems. In this context, we take note of the Manila Vision and Action Plan, adopted at the meeting of the ASEM Oceans Initiative.³

ASEM Way Forward

    11. We confirm the commitment to intensify our cooperation to combat climate change, recognising ASEM's capacity and valuable role in enhancing international cooperation through dialogue in the context of different multilateral fora, and we encourage the further strengthening of ASEM's role in this respect. We will continue to engage in international dialogue with a view to reaching an understanding on further global action to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations, based on common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

    12. We underline the importance of the wide range of ASEM initiatives in pursuing sustainable development, and support the development of possible cooperation and activities among ASEM partners in support of the implementation of this declaration. We invite the ASEM Ministers dealing with climate change related policies to carry on the dialogue on climate change in support of implementing the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol, including through discussions at ASEM Environment Ministers' Meetings.