Workshop report

Increasing the visibility of soot-free and zero emission heavy-duty vehicles in the Transport Decarbonization Agenda of the ASEAN region

Coordinated actions to harmonize technical regulations in trade blocs such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could enable groups of countries to accelerate progress in addressing heavy-duty vehicle emissions. Alignment of vehicle emission standards and fuel quality standards among countries with strong economic ties could reduce or eliminate barriers to progress.

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), established a working group on soot-free and zero-emission heavy-duty transport with funding provided by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). During the implementation of this project, the ICCT and UNEP consulted with individual ministerial representatives from ASEAN member countries, as well as with the ASEAN Land Transport Working Group (LTWG) via the ASEAN Secretariat.

The soot-free working group hosted four regional workshops, which were conducted with participation from various regional key ministries. The primary goals of the workshops were to:

  • Identify country-specific priorities and opportunities for implementing soot-free heavy-duty transport.
  • Discuss potential actions to improve the emissions performance of heavy-duty transport in the ASEAN region by involving key government agencies, such as transport, energy, and environment authorities.
  • Create a critical mass of informed stakeholders and establish a platform to facilitate the exchange of information on soot-free heavy-duty in the ASEAN region.