http://www.interaksyon.com/article/15005/asean-unity-in-climate-talks-urged

MANILA, Philippines - In the wake of the devastating floods in member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, particularly Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines, over the past two weeks, the regional bloc has been urged to unite and take a more active and transparent role in pushing for binding agreements to combat climate change.

"The past two weeks of floods and rains have cost ASEAN nations hundreds of lives and billions of dollars.  This is the reality of climate change - and it is a reminder that the success of the UN climate talks are a matter of survival for the people of Southeast Asia," Zelda Soriano, policy advisor for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said.

Greenepeace-SEA and Oxfam have partnered to form the ASEAN for a Fair, Ambitious and Binding Global Climate Deal or A-FAB.

Soriano acknowledged that the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore "have been vocal and active in the Panama negotiations for a legally binding agreement and for new, additional, and balanced climate finance" and hoped they would "hold on firmly to that position as one body."

The Panama talks, which ended October 7, were the last of a series of UN climate talks before the Conference of Parties in Durban, South Africa later this year. The discussions were dominated by the responsibility of developed countries to provide climate financing as well as their refusal to commit to legally binding emission reduction targets when commitments under the Kyoto Protocol end next year.

Soriano warned that "a non-legally binding agreement will ... be disadvantageous to Southeast Asia because the certainty, predictability and levels of climate mitigation actions will not be guaranteed."

"Climate finance and legally binding commitments are important to ASEAN countries," said Shalimar Vitan, Oxfam's East Asia Campaign Coordinator.

"ASEAN should also put the weight of its collective voice behind the demands of its peoples struggling with climate change," Vitan added.

Although "historically, the ASEAN has never yet taken a stand as a group in the UNFCCC," Soriano said A-FAB believes "this can and should be done within the framework of the ASEAN Climate Change Initiative to give the region, one of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, a stronger voice in the UN negotiations."

"This is the chance for ASEAN to prove its relevance, when it stands up for the common interest of the region's 600 million people," she added.