Jakarta, November 2025 — The morning haze over Jakarta had barely lifted when delegations from across Southeast Asia filed into the Ministry of National Development Planning. Inside BAPPENAS, a rare convergence was taking shape: technical experts, policymakers, and regional planners from all 11 ASEAN Member States gathering to build the region’s first unified blueprint for blue carbon and blue finance. Over two days, the meeting sought to align science, economics, and policy behind a single objective — safeguarding the coastal ecosystems that anchor Southeast Asia’s climate resilience.
Hosted from 27 to 28 November, the ASEAN Regional Workshop on Blue Carbon and Finance Profiling marked a critical moment for the ASEAN Blue Carbon and Finance Profiling (ABCFP) Project, a Government of Japan–funded initiative implemented by UNDP Indonesia with the ASEAN Coordinating Task Force on Blue Economy. The effort reflects a growing recognition that mangroves, seagrass meadows, and peatlands — long treated as peripheral assets — are central to the region’s ability to adapt to rising seas, intensifying storms, and accelerating economic pressures.
Building the region’s first blue carbon and blue finance architecture
Over 30 technical specialists convened in Jakarta to refine methodologies, examine national data sets, and advance the development of 11 Blue Carbon Profiles and 11 Blue Finance Profiles, alongside two regional profiles. Scheduled for release in March 2026, these products are expected to give governments unprecedented clarity on the state of their blue carbon resources, the economic value of those ecosystems, and the financing pathways needed to protect and restore them.
The work responds to an urgent regional reality. Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s richest coastal ecosystems, but also some of its fastest rates of loss. Land conversion, pollution, and climate impacts have strained habitats that sustain fisheries, buffer coastlines, store vast quantities of carbon, and support the livelihoods of millions. The ABCFP aims to close persistent knowledge gaps by mapping ecosystem potential, identifying enabling policy conditions, and outlining practical options for public, private, and innovative financing solutions.
“This workshop demonstrates how ASEAN Member States can work collectively to strengthen shared knowledge and develop approaches that support sustainable development across the region,” said Dr. Eka Chandra Buana, Deputy Minister for Macro Development Planning, who opened the meeting on behalf of ASEAN as Shepherd of the ACTF-BE.
A Japan–ASEAN partnership shaped by regional ownership
Japan’s long-standing support for ASEAN’s blue economy agenda was reaffirmed during the workshop. Representing the Mission of Japan to ASEAN, Mr. Chujo Kazuo emphasized that the success of blue carbon policy hinges on both regional expertise and local knowledge.
“Japan places great value on collaboration with regional partners and local experts. We believe that expertise must be grounded in local knowledge, and policy must be shaped through regional ownership,” he said. “The work ahead is complex, but the potential impact is transformative. Through this project, we are taking a crucial step to protect vital ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience, create sustainable economic opportunities, and uphold the prosperity and security of our region.”
Strengthening scientific foundations for regional decision-making
UNDP highlighted the scientific depth underpinning the profiling initiative. According to Sujala Pant, UNDP Indonesia Deputy Resident Representative, the process has engaged 98 experts from 35 academic and research institutions across ASEAN and Timor-Leste — one of the largest technical communities assembled for blue economy policy in the region.
“This workshop is designed as a working space — an opportunity to refine the drafts, strengthen assumptions, and identify linkages between the carbon and finance analyses, while also understanding regional commonalities and trends,” Pant said.
Throughout the event, discussions focused on harmonizing methods for data integration, ecosystem valuation, and blue finance modeling. Delegates compared national approaches and examined how their emerging profiles could support climate strategies, coastal protection plans, and investments in sustainable blue economy sectors.
A foundation for the region’s next decade of coastal resilience
The ABCFP forms part of the broader Japan–ASEAN Blue Economy Cooperation initiative, which aims to scale nature-based solutions and strengthen regional collaboration. As countries move toward the launch of their profiles in 2026, the initiative is set to become a central reference point for national climate planning, carbon market engagement, and the design of financing instruments to protect coastal ecosystems.
For ASEAN, the workshop marked more than technical progress — it signaled a shift toward collective action on the blue economy at a moment when climate pressures on the region’s coasts continue to intensify. The next phase will determine whether shared knowledge can translate into coordinated policy and real investment on the ground.
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