On Thursday 4 September, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced two flagship biodiversity programmes as part of their first ministerial dialogue on the environment and climate change.
With a total of €30 million in EU funding, they aim to strengthen conservation, climate resilience and sustainable development in Southeast Asia.
These actions are in line with the Kunming-Montreal global framework for biodiversity, the Paris Agreement and the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
With a contribution of €15 million from the EU, the Nature Solutions Finance Hub, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, is expected to mobilise €1.5 billion in investments for nature between now and 2030.
Meanwhile, the ASEAN Small Grants Programme (Phase III), with EU funding of €15 million out of a total budget of €20 million, supports community conservation in heritage parks through agroforestry, ecotourism and inclusive governance. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)