Page 120 - The Ethics of ASEAN

The Ethics of ASEAN

destroying the sustainability and biodiversity of the life we depend on. The only option is to
reconcile the ethic of economic growth with the emerging ethics of preservation of life on
the planet.
Our dialogue begins with a speech recorded for this dialogue by a representative of
the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. This is followed
by an overview of challenges across ASEAN by two students from the AUN supported
Master degree in Sustainability from Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia. We then turn to
ASEAN policy from a representative of the ASEAN Biodiversity Centre headquartered in
the Philippines and wrap up with the perspective from ASEAN business represented by the
Foundation of Indonesian’s largest State-Owned company.

Bianca Lisboa de Camara Brasil: the UN convention on
biodiversity preserves and shares the resources of life

Figure 1: Bianca Lisboa de Camara Brasil, program manager for business engagement at the UN Secretariat for the
Convention on Biological Diversity.

The global perspective on this ethical issue is given by Ms Lisboa de Camara Brasil of the
UN Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. This new UN body has three
goals:
1. the conservation of biological diversity (biodiversity);
2. the sustainable use of its components;
3. and most important from the ethical perspective, a fair and equitable sharing of
benefits arising from genetic resources.
The Convention on Biological Diversity convened in Montreal in December 2022 for the 15th
Conference of the Parties (COP15) resulted in an international agreement to protect 30% of
land and oceans by 2030. It also adopted a global biodiversity framework with the goal of
safeguarding our livelihoods, our health, and the health of the planet.
Concerning the specific situation of ASEAN, the UN representative points out
that Southeast Asia occupies only 3% of the earth’s surface but has 20% of plant and
animal biodiversity of the planet. So, from an international perspective, ASEAN has a
responsibility beyond the sheer size of its territory to reverse the destructive effects of
development that make the life support systems of our planet unsustainable.
The United Nations COP 15 has good news for ASEAN. With the ethical commitment
to protect biodiversity comes a concrete financial incentive: nations will receive a large

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