The 17th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Education (AWGEE) was held on 1-2 July 2025 in Manila, Philippines. The meeting was an important platform for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and development of concrete actions between ASEAN Member States (AMS) and development partners to promote environmental education and sustainable development across the ASEAN region.
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is a core pillar of the AWGEE, as it directly supports environmental awareness, responsible behaviour, and the transition to sustainable lifestyles across the region. By promoting SCP through education and capacity-building, the AWGEE contributes to ASEAN’s broader goals under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The EU funded SWITCH-Asia programme, through its Policy Support Component (PSC), has been a key partner in supporting AWGEE's mandate through the assistance provided in organising the annually held ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme on SCP and in supporting the development and implementation of the ASEAN Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Framework, which serves as a strategic guide for ASEAN Member States to integrate SCP principles into national policies, planning, and sectoral strategies.
The ASEAN SCP Framework, endorsed in 2021, reflects the regional commitment to embedding SCP principles in various sectors. It acknowledges the need for sustainable practices in the natural, built, financial, and digital environments. The Framework consists of four action lines: (1) Measure and support progress in SDG12, (2) Increase productivity and decrease losses in food systems, (3) Establish good practice for green products and guidelines for GPP and (4) promote sustainable lifestyles in urban and rural settings.
The Chairman of the AWGEE from Cambodia, emphasized the importance of the ASEAN SCP Framework to facilitate the transition of ASEAN countries towards a low-carbon development and resource-efficiency.
Ms Loraine Gatlabayan-Pontifex, Key Expert, SCP awareness raising and regional partnership-building, SWITCH-Asia PSC, presented the support provided to Lao PDR in the organisation of the 12th ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme on SCP held last 4-8 November 2024 in Lao PDR as well as updates on the support provided by SWITCH-Asia to Indonesia on implementing the ASEAN SCP Framework. She noted key highlights of the Leadership Programme and mentioned that the sessions focus on circular economy and how it presents a pathway for creating policy coherence and raising ambition towards SCP. She also reiterated SWITCH-Asia’s continued support to AWGEE through awareness-raising, knowledge exchange, learning resources, and capacity-building initiatives focusing on the goals of the Framework, particularly on SDG 12 on SCP and on Green Public Procurement (GPP).
Ms Elodie Maria-Sube, Key Expert, EU policy development and partnership building SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, presented a Working-Paper on Green Public Procurement recently drafted by the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component. She highlighted the potential of GPP in achieving sustainable development goals in the ASEAN. Government consumption has the power to become a catalyst for market transformation.
The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, identify key actions, and engage stakeholders in driving SCP practices forward.
In the AWGEE meeting, the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC) reiterated its support to ASEAN cooperation on SCP, particularly in supporting AMS in operationalizing the ASEAN SCP Framework and in supporting the next country host in the organization of the ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme on SCP.
This initiative builds on results achieved by the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, including Support to the Operationalisation of the ASEAN SCP Framework, the support to the 12th ASEAN+3 Leadership Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production and the work in the field of Sustainable/Green Public Procurement.
Contact:
For more information on EU SWITCH-Asia covering Sustainable/Green Public Procurement, contact: Ms Loraine Gatlabayan-Pontifex, Key Expert, SCP awareness raising and regional partnership-building, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, [email protected].
