On September 2024, Oxfam and civil society organization (CSO) partners launched a communique for the consideration of the ASEAN Ministers of Energy in the development of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase 3 (2026-2030). The communique urges the ASEAN and Member States to urgently set ambitious targets that will enable a just energy transition (JET) across the region.
This communique was drafted during the 2nd CSO Regional Convening on Just Energy Transition (JET) in the ASEAN from August 27-29 attended by FFA, other Oxfam programs, and CSO partners from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines.
One of the communique’s key recommendations is to include the establishment of financing mechanisms, including grants and subsidies, that will enable the redirection of public and private finance and investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy development and other required energy transition support that uphold the rights and well-being of vulnerable groups across the region. The ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance Version 3 can also provide some guidance on how to redirect financial flows to support the aligned environmental objectives of ASEAN Member States.
The communique also emphasizes the need for a clear, collective, and time-bound definition of JET that addresses climate impacts across multiple sectors, including agriculture and transportation. The transition must also include a gender-responsive framework that acknowledges the disproportionate social and economic impacts of climate change on women and girls. Moreover, it urges addressing transboundary impacts through regional mechanisms to ensure that energy projects in the Mekong Region are socially and environmentally sustainable.
To promote a common understanding on what JET means, emphasizing on defining the scope, parameters, and timeline for implementation, the communique also recommends for ASEAN’s consideration a JET Policy Toolkit that serves as a dynamic platform for sharing information on JET and compiling a database on community-based renewable energy initiatives. This Toolkit was developed by Oxfam’s FFA and Influencing Just Energy Transition in Asia (I-JET) Programs and launched during the 2nd CSO Regional Convening.
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