TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations marked the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationship with two new programs for the environment, the sustainable use of peatland and haze mitigation in ASEAN or SUPA, and biodiversity conservation and management of protected areas in ASEAN or BCAMP.

“It is a pleasure for me to launch the 40th anniversary of the EU-ASEAN partnership, which has promoted strong political, economic and social cooperation,” said Francisco Fontan Pardo, the EU Ambassador to ASEAN, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on March 2, 2017.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh said that the new programs signified the long-standing relationship between the two regional blocs and their commitment to the protection of the environment and sustainable development.

The SUPA program aimed to promote the sustainable management of peatland and mitigate transboundary haze pollution. “We’ve seen how challenging the haze phenomenon is,” asserted Fontan Pardo.

The second initiative, BCAMP, is targeted to intensify the conservation of biodiversity and manage protected areas in ASEAN region more effectively. It will be implemented in close coordination with the EU delegation in Manila and the ASEAN Biodiversity Center in Los Banos, the Philippines. “We aim to significantly reduce biodiversity loss,” said Minh in his speech.

Both the SUPA and BCAMP will run with a budget of €20 million and €10 million respectively.

AMANDA SIDDHARTA