ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) have adopted a common regional position on agriculture sector issues and will be promoting it at the forthcoming 22^nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that begins this week in Morocco.

The ASEAN Common Position on Issues Related to Agriculture for COP22 and Associated Bodies and Working Groups (ASEAN Common Position) was concluded during a meeting in late October of the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (ASEAN-CRN), and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The participants identified key entry points to raise awareness of the ASEAN Common Position, including specific preparatory meetings ahead of COP22 including the coordination meetings of the G77 and China group of negotiators of which each ASEAN country is a member.

While ASEAN does not have a consolidated seat at COP22, each member country of ASEAN does, and focal points from each country will lead efforts to coordinate and promote the ASEAN Common Position during COP22. It was also noted that ASEAN member Thailand presently chairs the G77. In their decision to adopt the Common Position, the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry appointed Thailand to lead coordination efforts ahead of COP22.

“The ASEAN Common Position on Agriculture clearly demonstrates the importance of agriculture, comprising crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, to ASEAN and regional efforts to address the impacts and drivers of climate change,” said Beau Damen, FAO Natural Resources Officer on Climate Change and Bioenergy. “The common position and active partnership of ASEAN Ministries of Environment and Agriculture in advance of this year’s COP provide a leading example to other countries wanting to draw attention to and prioritize action on agriculture and climate change as we move toward the commitment period for the Paris Agreement.”

All ASEAN Member States are also parties to the UNFCCC, and each developed and submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in support of the Paris Agreement at COP 21. According to recent analysis conducted by FAO, priority actions for agriculture feature prominently in the INDCs submitted by countries in the region.

The group has further agreed to continue working together and coordinate more closely during 2017 to further advance common issues and areas of concern with respect to agriculture and climate change issues; particularly at COP23, which is likely to be organized in Asia.