AZEC and AZEC Advocacy Group

In January 2022, Japan introduced the concept of the ‘Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC)’ with the aim of fostering a shared vision of decarbonisation across Asian countries and promoting cooperation in energy transitions. In March 2023, the first ministerial meeting took place, with participation from 11 countries. Based on a joint statement issued at the leaders’ meeting in December 2023, ASEAN-BAC, Keidanren, and ERIA inaugurated the AZEC Advocacy Group to promote the realisation of the AZEC initiative and advance carbon neutrality (CN) in Asia through public–private collaboration. The first AZEC Advocacy Group Round Table was held in Jakarta with the participation of business leaders from various Asian countries.

AZEC Advocacy Group Round Table

At the inaugural AZEC Advocacy Group Round Table, Tetsuya Watanabe, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), emphasised the crucial role of the advocacy group in formulating policies to achieve zero emissions across Asia, including ASEAN nations. He stressed the importance of integrating insights from the regional business community to develop effective strategies.

Arsjad Rasjid, Chairman of ASEAN-BAC Indonesia, reaffirmed Indonesia's commitment as an AZEC partner to achieving global zero emissions targets. He highlighted the need to balance environmental goals with ongoing economic development in Asia.

Takashi Uchida, Chairman of the Resource and Energy Policy Committee on Energy and Resources at Keidanren, acknowledged that decarbonisation is a shared challenge across ASEAN and Asia. He underscored Japan's commitment to actively supporting the AZEC initiative by leveraging the strong relationships built with Asian countries.

The expert participants concurred on the importance of crafting diverse and realistic approaches tailored to each country's circumstances for achieving zero emissions in Asia. They also stressed the necessity of regional cooperation. Expectations were set for integrating renewable energy sources, biomass, CCUS, hydrogen, ammonia, and DACCS into power generation projects. The experts emphasised the importance of regional collaboration in establishing rules for transition finance and carbon markets to support these initiatives.

AZEC Advocacy Group Joint Recommendation

The AZEC Advocacy Group has developed a joint recommendation to address decarbonisation, economic growth, and energy security in Asia through diverse and practical approaches in collaboration with AZEC.

This joint recommendation was presented to AZEC partner countries at the 2nd AZEC Ministerial Meeting on 21 August. 

Joint Recommendation