WE, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member States of ASEAN, on the occasion of the 15th ASEAN Summit;
Noting the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 5th session of the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of Parties (CMP) to the Kyoto Protocol to be convened in Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009;
Recalling the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015, Declaration of ASEAN on the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 3rd session of the CMP to the Kyoto Protocol (2007), and the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Sustainability (2007);
Recalling decision 1/CP.13 of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (the Bali Action Plan) to launch a comprehensive process to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012;
Reaffirming that Parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities;
Further reaffirming that the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol continue to be the basic framework and legal instrument for the international community to combat global climate change;
Further recalling Article 4.2 of the UNFCCC, which commits developed country Parties to take the lead in modifying longer-term trends in anthropogenic emissions consistent with the objective of the Convention;
Recognizing the scientific findings in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which emphasise the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly in developing countries;
Recognising the high population growth and urbanization trends in the ASEAN region, which place increased pressure on resources and make people in cities particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change; and
Seized by the need to expeditiously achieve a global solution to the problem of climate change at COP-15 in Copenhagen:
Do hereby state to:
1. Reaffirm our right to sustainable development and resolve to achieve the ultimate objective of the UNFCCC with the aim to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system and within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
2. Work closely to ensure that the agreed outcome of COP15 should incorporate long-term cooperative actions to address climate change in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Convention and the Bali Action Plan, in particular on adaptation, finance, technology transfer, capacity building and taking into account the specific national circumstances of Parties.
3. Urge the Annex 1 Parties to the UNFCCC to take deeper and early cuts on their greenhouse gas emissions to enhance implementation of their commitments given their historical responsibility, economic strength and capabilities.
4. Reaffirm that technology, financing and capacity building should be provided to support and enable adaptation efforts and nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries through effective mechanisms and new institutional arrangements.
5. Urge Annex I Parties to ensure that their existing and future unilateral policies and measures as well as market-based mechanisms in addressing climate change will not negatively affect the sustainable economic and social development of developing countries.
6. Support efforts to enhance understanding and effective implementation of REDD-plus mechanisms in developing countries, with the view to enhancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as supporting the livelihoods of local communities in a sustainable manner.
7. Urge all Parties to reflect the importance of an integrated coastal and ocean management approach to prepare for and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change in the agreed outcome at COP15, taking into account the Manado Ocean Declaration resulting from the World Ocean Conference 2009.
8. Commit to continue actively contributing towards a successful outcome of the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 5th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
ADOPTED at Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand, this Twenty Forth Day of October in the Year Two Thousand and Nine, in a single original copy, in the English Language.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th