RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - ASEAN parliaments are pushing for the strengthening of national legislation to accelerate the achievement of climate targets in the region. This effort is part of a shared commitment to ensuring that each country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets are achieved on time while strengthening the region's resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The issue emerged during the Second Plenary Session of the 17th Meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Caucus (AIPA Caucus) at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The second plenary session, chaired by the Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives' Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Ravindra Airlangga, raised the theme "Strengthening ASEAN Centrality in Facing Increasingly Complex Global Challenges," with a discussion session on "ASEAN and Climate Change: AIPA's Contribution to Protecting the Future of Society."

"Today, ASEAN, particularly through the ASEAN parliaments, reaffirmed its commitment to achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets. This session aims to assess whether all countries have the necessary legislative instruments to achieve the NDC targets on time," Deputy Chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP) at the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Ravindra Airlangga, said.

The DPR hosted the 17th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Caucus (AIPA Caucus). Themed "The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening ASEAN Centrality in Facing Complex Global Challenges," the event was attended virtually by ASEAN parliaments and several observer states. Several speakers also provided their opinions during a panel discussion at the Second Plenary Session.

Ravindra assessed that the forum also opened up space for member countries to strengthen regional cooperation. This is to support the energy transition and the development of various climate policy instruments that could be implemented jointly.

"This forum also provides a space to identify various opportunities for cooperation through a regional approach to energy issues. For example, whether an agreement on mutual recognition of carbon credit standards is possible. This step would allow ASEAN to have a collective bargaining position in providing carbon credits, while simultaneously preserving vital ecosystems," he said after leading a discussion session entitled "ASEAN and Climate Change: AIPA's Contribution to Protecting the Future of Society".

In his introduction as chair of the meeting, Ravindra reminded that climate change has become a real challenge affecting the lives of people in the ASEAN region. As a tropical and archipelagic region, ASEAN is considered vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather, seasonal changes, and threats to food security, clean water availability, and ecosystems.

He believes the various regional initiatives ASEAN has developed need to be followed up with concrete implementation at the national level so that the shared commitment doesn't stop at the declaration level.

"The question that needs to be answered now is whether these regional commitments have been translated into national-level policies," Ravindra, of the Golkar Party, emphasized as quoted from the DPR website.

Ravindra added that the AIPA Caucus forum serves as a platform for member country parliaments to review the various steps taken and to develop joint recommendations to address the challenges of climate change. Through these discussions, ASEAN parliaments are expected to strengthen the harmonization of national policies with regional commitments, while simultaneously encouraging the development of legislative measures that support the transition to a green and blue economy.

"The parliaments of AIPA member countries can utilize this session to review and evaluate the steps taken at the national level to align with ASEAN policies, while also formulating further recommendations for ASEAN in addressing the impacts of climate change, promoting more sustainable policies through the green economy and blue economy, and protecting the future of ASEAN communities," he said.