MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Government leaders, policymakers, and climate change experts from around the world will gather in the Philippines this week for a high-level dialogue and a series of technical meetings aimed at helping Asia-Pacific countries move toward low-carbon and climate-resilient development paths.
Hosted by ADB, the Climate and Clean Energy Week will consist of two events. The High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific, to be held 16-17 June, will bring together policy makers to discuss the path forward for the Asia-Pacific region in the face of climate change. The dialogue will be followed by the 4th Asia Clean Energy Forum 2009, from 17-19 June, which will serve as a platform for exchanging experiences and forging new partnerships to advance clean energy solutions in the region."Asia's share of greenhouse gas emissions has been growing rapidly over the past two decades and infrastructure investments in the next two decades will have profound impacts on the region's economy and the global climate," said ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda. "The Climate and Clean Energy Week is an opportunity to establish the basis for regional economic growth that is more environmentally sustainable, and to discuss priorities for Asia and the Pacific in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December."
Mr. Kuroda will co-host the high-level dialogue with Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute and Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Philippines' President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Goh Kun, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, will also speak at the dialogue. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will address the participants via video, and Mr. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, will update participants on progress toward a new global agreement in Copenhagen.
"Open dialogue is critical to achieving the policy, finance and technology solutions needed to address climate change in Asia and the Pacific," said Dr. Pachauri. "Decoupling economic growth from future greenhouse gas emissions is key to the region's future development, and only collective action will help us achieve this."
ADB will use the 4th Asia Clean Energy Forum 2009 to launch its Energy for All Partnership, which aims to provide clean, reliable energy to 100 million people in the Asia and Pacific region by 2015. ADB will also unveil a plan which outlines ongoing and planned responses to climate change in each of its five regions.