On the 28-29 September, the Regional Dialogue on Carbon Pricing (REdiCAP) was organized in Southeast Asia. With high-level participation from all the ten ASEAN member states; Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam; the dialogue was an important forum to discuss carbon pricing instruments as an effective means to achieving domestic, regional and international climate targets.

The dialogue was initiated as a mid-term review of the CiACA initiative (Collaborative Instruments for Ambitious Climate Action) by the UNFCCC through RCC Bangkok in ASEAN countries (find the results from the first phase of CiACA here), as part of the Plan of Action of the AWGCC (ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change) and the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action (2016-2020). The aim of CiACA is to foster cooperation and assist Parties in the development of carbon pricing instruments such as carbon taxes or emissions-trading systems for implementing their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. One of the most important lessons from the first phase of this initiative was that regional exchanges of experience on carbon pricing has proven to be irreplaceable.

Accordingly, the main objective of the REdiCAP was to foster learning between countries on different stages of considering and implementing carbon pricing by creating a safe space for dialogue and experience sharing. To achieve this, the dialogue was organized under the Chatham House Rules. Participating countries were invited to first give short presentations on opportunities and challenges of carbon pricing in their national contexts. Following this, a roundtable and smaller group discussions were organized to discuss the future of carbon pricing in the ASEAN countries and the next steps going forward.

“Carbon pricing is very important but can also be very complicated. Countries have different circumstances which needs to be taken into account when considering carbon pricing instruments. Therefore, it is very helpful to share experiences in the region.”
- Country Representative

Participants expressed important recommendations for the way forward, including the institutionalization of a platform to allow for regular exchange of experiences and mutual learning. Several countries also expressed interest in receiving further support from the CiACA initiative to explore the adoption of carbon pricing instruments in their national jurisdictions. A separate report from the event is now being drafted and will be shared together with identified next steps from the dialogue.

The Regional Dialogue on Carbon Pricing in ASEAN was one of five REdiCAPs already organized around the globe. The dialogue was led by the two professional facilitators, Jutta Weimar and Holger Nauheimer, with support from the technical expert Paul Butarbutar (ADB). The dialogue was organized by RCC Bangkok in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP).

For further information on REdiCAP organized in other regions, read here: https://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-change-fosters-regional-carbon-pricing

For more information on the CiACA initiative, please follow this link: https://unfccc.int/about-us/regional-collaboration-centres/the-collaborative-instruments-for-ambitious-climate-action-ciaca-initiative