On June 20-21, 2023, the Philippines will be hosting the 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (AWGNCB) and the 10th ASEAN Heritage Parks Committee Meeting (AHPC) to be held at the Conrad Hotel, Manila. Both discussions pave the way towards sustainability and nature-based actions – in addressing the challenges brought about by climate change – through regional collaborations.
The meeting will be chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) Assistant Secretary Marcial C. Amaro, Jr., and will be attended by the 10 ASEAN Member States (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Timor Leste was also invited to participate in the meeting as an observer. Other partner organizations such as the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), and other regional and international NGOs were likewise invited.
The meeting will tackle regional and global biodiversity concerns including, but not limited to, the outcomes of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15), and updates on the implementation of the AWGNCB Action Plan (e.g., Protected Areas, Ecosystem Services, Species Conservation, Invasive Alien Species and Mainstreaming Biodiversity).
A collective action towards achieving sustainable development in the ASEAN, the AWGNCB serves as an annual consultative platform to develop a common stand that will strengthen the regional coordination and cooperation in addressing problems associated with biodiversity. The AWGNCB is also part of a broader institutional framework on ASEAN Cooperation on the Environment and serves as a technical advisory body to the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity.