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Rodrigo U. Fuentes
Executive Director
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
(Opening Remarks delivered by Ms. Clarissa Arida, Director, Programme Development and Implementation, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity on behalf of Mr. Rodrigo Fuentes.)
Mr. Samuel Cantell, First Secretary, European Commission Delegation, Bangkok
Mr. Pavit Ramachandran, Environment Specialist, Asian Development Bank
Mr. Masakazu Ichimura, Chief, Environment and Development Policy Section, Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Mr. Winston Bowman, Regional Environment Director, United States Agency for International Development/ Regional Development Mission/ Asia
Distinguished Colleagues, Participants from the ASEAN Member States, resource persons and experts
Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning.
On behalf of Mr. Rodrigo Fuentes, Executive Director of ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, I am delighted to welcome all of you to the South-East Asia Workshop on Payments for Ecosystem Services. It is our pleasure and honor at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to join hands with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Asian Development Bank-Environment Operations Center (ADB-EOC), the USAID-Asian Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program (ARBCP), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) in organizing this most timely and much-needed workshop. We would like to thank the Government of Thailand for graciously welcoming here in Bangkok.
As we know, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is still in its infancy stage in the ASEAN region. While the creation of markets for ecosystem services has been theoretically recognized in Southeast Asia, the benefits of promoting biodiversity conservation and supporting local livelihoods are yet to be implemented and documented on the ground. Clearly, much has to be done in so far as laying the groundwork for PES in the region is concerned.
Much work has yet to be done, and one critical step in jumpstarting PES in ASEAN member states and in other countries is the creation of PES legal and policy-enabling conditions. We also recognize the crucial need to mobilize the various stakeholders concerned, as well as related skills and expertise, thus, the need for this regional stakeholders gathering and exchange of experiences and information.
For example, Viet Nam has piloted a PES policy. Several governments in the ASEAN region also are leading proponents of international payments for REDD, and are showing interest in establishing equitable and effective PES mechanisms at the national level. The Philippines, Indonesia and other countries in this region have likewise implemented PES initiatives.
Viet Nam and some countries in South America have witnessed the benefits generated through the PES scheme. We in the ASEAN region recognize that this is the most opportune time to begin region-wide implementation.
A huge roadblock, however, is the fact that PES markets remain under-developed and broadly understood in Asia.
This regional workshop will provide a venue for Southeast Asian, Chinese government officials, private sector representatives, and various institutions involved in PES-related capacity building initiatives to share their experiences in developing sustainable finance, legal, and policy-enabling mechanisms that will secure and support national and regional economic development targets in the ASEAN region.
It is the first in a series of workshops that seeks to identify more specific capacity-building needs for supporting PES enabling policy at the national level, and facilitate and mobilize regional institutions to support countries in addressing these needs.
We are happy to note that we have an impressive roster of resource persons from whom we can learn a lot. We also look forward to a series of presentations and discussions on global examples of PES, establishing a PES mechanism, and PES valuation and cost-benefit analysis, among other interesting topics. Together with our partners, ARBCP, UNESCAP and ADB, we have designed this workshop in such a way that there will be ample opportunities for country participants to share knowledge and experiences on PES schemes. It is our objective to further assist ASEAN Member States and countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region in establishing PES mechanisms, and make it as one of the tools for effective environmental management – to achieve the highest environmental benefits for the lowest costs and in devising effective compensation schemes.
As an intergovernmental regional organization, ACB, in collaboration with our key partners, is committed to support the ASEAN Member States in further understanding PES, in assessing and valuing ecosystems goods and services including property use rights, in identifying workable and appropriate PES schemes and enabling policy environment at the country level. The voluntary nature of PES and its potential to also improve the livelihoods of rural communities, offers opportunities for effective environmental management through functioning ecosystems services in the areas of watershed management, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation.
Once again, ACB wishes to express our sincerest gratitude to our partners, resource persons, and participants. Our gratitude also extends to the continued support being provided by the European Commission to ACB in support of the needs of the AMS on biodiversity and environmental management.
We look forward to having insightful and fruitful discussions with you. I wish everyone a pleasant day.
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SEA PES Workshop