Today, EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong, and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Executive Secretary Preeti Sinha kicked off the Smart Green ASEAN Cities programme.
Out of ASEAN’s population of over 630 million, nearly 300 million people live in urban areas and more than 25% live in cities with over one million inhabitants. In the next 15 years, ASEAN’s urban areas are expected to accommodate another 100 million people.
With EUR 5.1-million support from the EU from 2021–2025, the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) programme will assist ASEAN Member States anticipate the substantial pressure from the high urbanisation rates by focusing on green and smart solutions through digitalisation and use of technologies.
In his remarks, Ambassador Driesmans noted that “the kick-off of the EU-ASEAN Smart Green ASEAN Cities programme today elevates the EU-ASEAN relationship even further, entrenching and deepening our partnership to concrete matters at city level, but bound within the spirit of regionalism as an umbrella. The SGAC programme is not only crucial, but also strategic as it aims to support sustainable urbanisation in the ASEAN region, reduce the environmental impacts of urban areas, and improve the quality of life of citizens.’’
‘’Actions contributing to sustainable and smart cities such as the promotion of energy and resource-efficient buildings as well as sustainable and smart mobility are important EU policy priorities and key pillars of the European Green Deal,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary-General Ekkaphab Phanthavong recognised the growing importance of building stronger collaboration to promote sustainable urbanisation and related that the programme demonstrates the continued ASEAN-EU partnerships on sustainable development.
“We appreciate Team Europe’s renewed commitment to support the region through the ASEAN Green Recovery Platform and the Team Europe Green Initiative. I encourage the EU to further support ASEAN Member States and take advantage of this platform in providing both technical and financial assistance to facilitate more effective recovery, build resilience, and promote smarter and greener cities in the ASEAN region,” he emphasised.
UNCDF Executive Secretary Preeti Sinha, on her part related that, “the SGAC programme was developed in line with the priority of sustainable and inclusive urbanisation in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.”
She further expressed that, “UNCDF and its partners will make sure that the implementation will contribute directly to the reduction of the environmental and carbon footprints of selected ASEAN cities by enhancing cities’ access to finance and smart solutions for sustainable urbanisation, while promoting energy efficiency, reducing air pollution and contributing to the development of a circular economy.”
‘Middleweight’ cities between 200,000 and 2 million residents are forecasted to drive 40% of the region’s growth. While this expansion reflects the concentration of economic opportunities in urban areas, it also puts high pressure on the environment as well as urban planning for infrastructure and other public services.
The fast expansion and exponential development of mega-cities in Southeast Asia has resulted to significant environmental consequences. According to the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy, annual CO2 emission in ASEAN has increased by 6.1%, while the amount of wastes generated will increase by 150% by 2025. In addition, cities in ASEAN are some of the world’s most vulnerable to the impact of climate change and natural disasters.
The SGAC programme is implemented by the UNCDF and will facilitate policy development, access to public and private funds, as well as enhance cooperation between cities within ASEAN, and between ASEAN and European cities. It will directly contribute to reduce environmental and carbon footprints of selected ASEAN cities, while promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. It also targets to reduce air pollution, facilitate transition towards a circular economy, promote the adoption of green and smart city solutions in selected ASEAN cities.
The programme is expected to synergise with other ongoing initiatives in ASEAN, such as the ASEAN Initiative on Environmentally Sustainable Cities, the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy, as well as with the EU-supported SMART CHANGE project which facilitates the cooperation between Jakarta, Bangkok, and Berlin.
————-
About the European Union (EU)
The European Union (EU) is the economic and political union of 27 Member States with a population of 470 million. Together, the EU has built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development while maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedom. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the goals of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. The EU is the world’s largest trading bloc, and the world’s largest source and destination of foreign direct investment. Collectively, the EU and its Member States are the largest donors of Official Development Assistance (ODA), providing more than half of ODA globally.
The 27 member states of the EU (in protocol order) are: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
For more information about the EU and its relations and cooperation with ASEAN, access: http://eeas.europa.eu/asean
About ASEAN
ASEAN brings together Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam in a community united by a common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and social progress, and to promote the region’s vital interests, ideals and aspirations. To learn more, visit www.asean.org.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Mustika Larasati Hapsor
Quelle/Source: ASEAN, 22.11.2021
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
