ERIA Introduces Study on Crop Burning Reduction and Regional Workshop at 31st ASWGC Meeting

Siem Reap, 3-5 July 2024: The Kingdom of Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries hosted the 31st Meeting of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC) in Siem Reap from 3 to 5 July 2024. The meeting was attended by ASWGC representatives from ASEAN Member States (AMS) and selected ASEAN Development Partners, including ERIA. Dr Kentaro Yamada, Policy Fellow, and Siti Mustaqimatud Diyanah, Research Associate, attended the meeting to present the ERIA research project and a regional workshop.

The 45th AMAF Meeting agreed to develop the ASEAN Guidelines for the Reduction of Crop Burning in ASEAN as one of the Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs) of the Lao PDR ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024. This year, ERIA is supporting the PEDs for Agriculture, namely the developments of the ASEAN Action Plan on Sustainable Agriculture and the ASEAN Guidelines for the Reduction of Crop Burning in ASEAN.

To support the implementation of the Guidelines, ERIA initiated a project this year titled 'Case Study for the Reduction of Crop Burning in ASEAN Member States.' Dr Yamada outlined the details of this study during the meeting. The project aims to improve awareness of the importance of reducing crop burning. As a first step, this study will summarise effective practices to reduce crop burning in each AMS and facilitate the sharing of these outcomes amongst the AMS. Some AMS will be engaged in the study as country cases, including Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Lao PDR.

In the final part of the ERIA presentation, Dr Yamada introduced the ERIA Regional Workshop on 'Building Climate Smart ASEAN: Assessing Climate Vulnerability, Planning Adaptation Strategies, and Securing Innovative Financing', which will be held from 4 to 6 September 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This workshop seeks to (i) enhance understanding of climate vulnerabilities and disaster risks across diverse sectors in ASEAN; (ii) equip stakeholders with knowledge and tools to develop and implement comprehensive climate change adaptation and disaster resilience strategies; (iii) explore and unlock the potential of innovative financing mechanisms for climate actions; and (iv) foster collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, and the private sector in support of the ASEAN Climate Change Action Plan. He explained that the three-day workshop will engage government officials from AMS, academia, private sectors, and financial institutions.

The Chair of the ASWGC Meeting expressed support for the ERIA project as well as the regional workshop. The Chair took notes for the project and regional workshop. Moreover, he highlighted the potential of the project for impactful advancements in ASEAN for the future. ERIA collaborates closely with the ASEAN Secretariat to promote sustainable agriculture in the ASEAN region.