Singapore, Vietnam back continuity in ASEAN climate agenda

Singapore and Vietnam are seeking to build on the Philippines’ climate agenda when the ASEAN chairmanship changes hands, signaling support for sustained regional action on climate resilience, energy security and disaster preparedness.

Policy continuity matters to the region’s nearly 700 million people because adaptation programs, early warning systems and cross-border energy projects require years of cooperation and financing, while repeatedly changing priorities could delay protections for communities already facing severe storms, disrupted livelihoods and pressure on food and power supplies.

Singapore Ambassador Constance See Sin Yuan said her country would carry forward the Philippines’ climate initiatives when it assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027.

Vietnam Ambassador Lai Thai Binh called for closer regional coordination in addressing the connected risks posed by climate change, natural disasters and energy insecurity.

Their remarks came during a climate security forum organized by the Stratbase Group and the Embassy of Germany in Manila, where the envoys stressed that ASEAN initiatives should endure beyond the annual rotation of the bloc’s leadership.

“The task (for ASEAN) is to preserve our agency, set our own priorities and bring partners together around these priorities,” See said. “The international environment will remain difficult for many years; there will be competing demands on governments and difficult trade-offs to make but climate change will not wait for a more convenient geopolitical moment.”

The Philippines is chairing ASEAN in 2026 under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together,” with priorities covering peace and security, prosperity and people empowerment. Singapore is preparing to assume the chairmanship in 2027.

Binh said the Philippine chairmanship offered a timely opening to treat climate change as a regional security concern rather than a stand-alone environmental issue.

“With the Philippines currently serving as ASEAN chair in 2026, there is a valuable opportunity to place climate security higher on the regional agenda,” echoed Binh. “We believe that ASEAN should continue to strengthen solidarity, make full use of existing mechanisms and promote cooperation on disaster risk reduction, biodiversity protection and collective resilience.”

See said Singapore would pursue a three-year initiative called Climate Adaptation and Resilience for ASEAN’s Transformation, or CARAT, to help member states improve adaptation policies.

The program would support the implementation of national adaptation plans, improve access to climate financing and develop adaptation road maps.

CARAT would also facilitate the exchange of effective climate practices among ASEAN member states.

See emphasized that ASEAN should consolidate the gains achieved during the Philippines’ chairmanship instead of resetting its climate priorities whenever the leadership rotates to another country.

She said the regional bloc would need assistance from development banks and private businesses, but ASEAN governments must first identify their own requirements and direct external support toward those priorities.

Binh cautioned that poorly coordinated assistance could produce duplicative programs that respond more to the preferences of development partners than to local needs.

“We don’t want to end up with a situation where there are multiple projects that overlap and which are sometimes more in line with donor priorities rather than what is actually needed,” Binh said.

Vietnam is also advocating stronger information-sharing and early warning systems covering natural disasters, energy and food security.

The proposal reflects the increasingly transboundary character of climate risks, which can disrupt regional supply chains, agricultural production and electricity systems beyond the country where a disaster first occurs.

Binh said Vietnam was pursuing renewable-energy development and regional power cooperation with Laos, Malaysia and Singapore.

Vietnam and the Philippines had also recently signed an agreement covering a renewable-energy project valued at more than USD 400 million.

That agreement followed a USD 100 million renewable-energy investment made during the previous year, Binh said.

Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit said the Philippines’ experience with increasingly severe weather demonstrated why climate resilience should form part of ASEAN’s broader security architecture.

The Philippines ranked first among 193 countries in the 2025 World Risk Index, marking the fourth consecutive year in which it occupied the top position.

The index gave the Philippines a risk score of 46.56, reflecting the combination of its high exposure to natural hazards and its social vulnerability. A 2025 regional assessment classified the country as having the world’s highest disaster risk.

“Given the transboundary and increasingly complex nature of these climate-related challenges, no nation can stand alone. Strategic partnerships and alignments will remain essential to strengthening climate security and resilience,” Manhit said.

He called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response involving public agencies, academic institutions, businesses, civil society organizations, the diplomatic community and the media.

Manhit said the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship creates an opportunity to deepen regional cooperation while expanding partnerships with countries such as Germany on climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development.

The challenge for the Philippines and Singapore will be to translate that shared agenda into projects that survive the leadership transition, reflect the needs of ASEAN communities and attract enough public and private financing to deliver measurable protection.