đź“… 30 March 2023
Bali, Indonesia
Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. At present, climate impacts in the region continue to grow more severe, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities, and placing millions at risk of being thrown back into extreme poverty.
Southeast Asian nations face the formidable challenge of contending with the ongoing effects of climate change while pursuing lower-carbon pathways and maintaining robust economic growth.
Countries in Southeast Asia are committed to a net-zero future, with 8 out of 10 ASEAN member states at COP26 committing to net-zero targets by 2050. As countries emerge from the pandemic, they have a unique opportunity to harness new green, innovative, and cost-effective approaches to support decarbonization in a wide range of sectors while revitalizing economies.
How can countries in Southeast Asia make the transition to net zero and achieve climate resilience, while ensuring economic prosperity? ADB’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2023, “Imagining a Net-Zero ASEAN,” will explore measures governments, communities, and private sector entities can take to progress toward carbon neutrality by adopting new technological solutions, accelerating the availability of finance, and deploying other effective measures.
SEADS builds on the successes of Indonesia’s G20 presidency in 2022, which placed the global transition toward a low-carbon economy at the forefront of the agenda. While the shift to net zero will not be without costs, the benefits should be manifold, with better environmental quality, stronger resiliency, and new economic opportunities.
Objectives
SEADS 2023 will be held on 30 March, ahead of the ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting, with a live symposium in Bali, Indonesia, complemented by full virtual coverage. SEADS 2023 will provide governments in Southeast Asia with a unique opportunity to discuss innovative solutions that can help countries focus on becoming net-zero economies and rebound from the COVID-19 crisis.
SEADS will feature an open morning plenary with keynote addresses from ADB’s President and other esteemed government and industry leaders; a special high-level panel discussion, “Financing a Net-Zero ASEAN;” and the launch of a new ADB report on the greening of global value chains. The afternoon agenda will feature eight breakout sessions exploring a range of measures that can advance a net-zero future in ASEAN.