The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The International Copper Alliance (ICA) and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) in cooperation with the ASEAN Energy Efficiency and Conservation Sub-sector Network (EE&C-SSN), jointly organised the Inaugural Workshop of the ASEAN Standards Harmonisation Initiative for Energy Efficiency – Lighting Initiative, on 2-3 February 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The ASEAN SHINE – Lighting initiative promotes higher efficiency lighting equipment in the ASEAN community through a partnership between the UNEP-GEF’s en.lighten initiative and ACE, with financial support from the European Union’s SWITCH-Asia programme.

The overall objective of the initiative is to increase energy security and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ASEAN by steering the lighting market towards high efficiency products.  Specifically, it aims to harmonise minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and relevant test standards for lighting products across ASEAN Member States (AMS), as well as to establish robust and cooperative monitoring, verification and enforcement (MVE) schemes to ensure compliance with the established standards. The implementation of the initiative is also expected to contribute to the increase of regional market integration and the removal of trade barriers, by intensifying energy productivity, reducing energy demand, improving quality and efficacy of efficient lighting, as well as increasing consumer confidence to uptake these products.  The Lighting Initiative is one of the direct activities to support the EE&C Programme under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025.

The  Lighting Workshop included in-depth information sharing on opportunities for regional harmonisation, on efficient lighting situation in ASEAN, also on resources and opportunities generated from the UNEP-en.lighten and UNEP-lites.asia initiatives. The Workshop considered and in principle agreed upon the Work Packages/Work Plan of the ASEAN-SHINE Lighting for 2016, as well as on the terms of reference for the ASEAN SHINE Lighting Project Steering Committee and the ASEAN SHINE Lighting Technical Working Group.  The Workshop also discussed the institutional arrangements, regional market assessment study and regional product information sharing. The Meeting agreed to support the implementation of the Lighting initiative in the ASEAN Community. (CGZ)