Macroeconomics of Green and Resilient Transitions
Participants from Southeast Asia and Bhutan join a closed-door forum debrief session to discuss key takeaways, challenges, and actions that can be taken forward both from a national and a regional level. Photo credit: ADB.
In Copenhagen, finance and central bank officials from Southeast Asia joined discussions on the macroeconomic and fiscal implications of climate change and net-zero transitions.
The 2nd Annual Forum on Macroeconomics of Green and Resilient Transitions convened over 250 participants, including economic policymakers, development partners, and leading applied economic modelers, to strengthen the evidence base for green and resilient economic transitions. It was held from 16 to 18 June 2025 in Copenhagen and organized by the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action.
As part of its support to the ASEAN Climate Finance Policy Platform, ADB facilitated the participation of 11 government officials from finance ministries and central banks across Southeast Asia—including Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Timor-Leste—as well as Bhutan. This engagement contributed to building regional capacity on climate-informed macro-fiscal analysis and policy design.
ADB played a key role in shaping the discussions, presenting its Fiscal Resilience Initiative and contributing to selected plenary sessions on capacity building and climate-focused fiscal analysis. Drawing on lessons from ongoing work—including collaboration with India’s Ministry of Finance, the discussions highlighted practical approaches to assessing the macroeconomic and fiscal implications of climate change and net-zero transitions.
A dedicated session on building analytical capacity in Asia and the Pacific, which was led by ADB, brought together more than 70 participants to explore tools, data, and methodologies to support climate-informed policymaking. In parallel, participation in the Green Macroeconomic Modelling Initiative meetings provided insights into a range of macroeconomic models that are used globally to assess climate risks and policy impacts.
The forum also provided an opportunity to convene members of the ASEAN Climate Finance Policy Platform to reflect on key takeaways and identify priority actions for regional collaboration. These engagements reinforced the growing demand for strengthened analytical capacity within ministries of finance in Southeast Asia and highlighted the importance of continued knowledge exchange and technical support.
The discussions strengthened understanding of climate-related fiscal risks, enhanced readiness to mobilize climate finance, and reinforced the role of regional platforms in advancing policy dialogue and reform.
