First Asia-Pacific Climate Week held in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand – 13 -15 December 2017 – ministers and high-level officials from the departments of finance, the private sector and leaders from the Asia-Pacific countries participated in the First Climate Week, which identified ways to scale up climate action and find innovative financing solutions for the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.
 
The First Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW 2017) culminated with the consideration of a Regional Climate Action Agenda which focuses on  strengthening regional cooperation among state and non-state stakeholders to promote greater achievement in key economic sectors by 2020.
 
The three-day event was co-organized by UNESCAP, UNFCCC, UNDP, UNEP-DTU, ADB, IETA, IGES, and TGO.  The UNCCD Secretariat Asia RCU staff participated in the Asia Pacific Carbon Forum, Plenary Sessions, workshop sessions, High Level Ministerial Segment and side events. 
 
Addressing the ministerial segment on 15th December, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP emphasized that enabling vulnerable countries to gain access to international capital markets to finance the green transition can be one of the most effective ways to finance climate action, and every dollar invested will leverage many more.
 
In his remarks, Mr. Inia Seruiratu, High-level Champion for Global Climate Action and Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Risk Management and Meteorological Services of Fiji, stressed that meaningful discussions shared during this High-Level Segment will help move key stakeholders in the region toward a clear Regional Climate Action Agenda, which unifies the region’s climate ambitions with the need to ensure that financial flows are consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
 
In his address Mr. Dirk Forrister, CEO and President of IETA stated that improving the quality of data and transparency are two key goals towards the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals will help finance to flow and results to be verified, and would also clear the path to market-based solutions that can vastly scale up the reductions Paris calls for.
 
Mr. James Grabert, Director of the Sustainable Development Mechanisms Programme at UNFCCC underlined that success in achieving the Paris Agreement objectives will require an ‘all-hands- on-deck’ approach, bringing together the private sector, cities, civil society and other non-state actors. 
 
For more information visit the event page.