Phnom Penh, 22 July 2025
To enhance the capacity of parliaments in overseeing climate finance and ensuring more effective public spending, the Parliamentary Centre of Asia (PCAsia) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in close collaboration with the National Assembly and Senate of Cambodia, successfully co-hosted a regional dissemination workshop on “Climate Budget Briefs and the Role of Parliaments for Effective Oversight of Climate Finance”, delivered in a hybrid face-to-face and online format.
This regional workshop marked a key milestone in a broader capacity development initiative involving parliamentary staff from Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The programme is designed to strengthen technical skills in climate finance analysis and budget scrutiny. With climate change placing mounting pressure on public resources, the initiative supports Southeast Asian parliaments in acquiring the tools and institutional knowledge needed to ensure that climate funding is used efficiently, equitably, and in line with national and regional goals.
The morning opened with remarks from PCAsia’s Capacity Development Director Mr Jeffrey Cole, who underscored the growing importance of institutional capacity in addressing climate finance challenges. This was followed by opening remarks from H.E. Mr Yos Panitta, Chair of Commission 2 of the Cambodian Senate, who reaffirmed the relevance of the workshop and the strategic role of parliaments in linking climate ambition with fiscal responsibility.
The workshop featured presentations from each country team summarising the technical findings and real-world relevance of their budget briefs. These briefs address pressing themes such as the energy transition, disaster preparedness, climate budget tagging, and gender-responsive budgeting — offering practical, evidence-based insights for decision-makers. Interactive Q&A sessions followed, sparking thoughtful exchanges on the effectiveness of budget tagging systems, and the integration of climate goals into development planning.
A additional feature of the event was the launch of “Parliamentary Oversight of Climate Finance in ASEAN”, a compendium of the briefs developed during the training. The publication serves as both a technical reference and a practical tool for supporting more transparent, results-driven oversight of climate-related expenditures.
In closing the event, H.E. Mr Chheang Vun, Chair of Commission 2 of the National Assembly of Cambodia, congratulated all participants on their achievements and encouraged continued collaboration among ASEAN parliaments and with development partners such as PCAsia and UNDP. He stressed that the skills demonstrated through the briefs will support more informed decisions and help ensure that climate funding reaches those who need it most.
“Parliamentary Oversight of Climate Finance in ASEAN” is available for download at www.pcasia.org and www.undp.org.