Institutionalizing Inclusive Sustainability: The Role of Green Diplomacy in Advancing Environmental Governance between ASEAN and the EU

Abstract

This research aims to analyze, examine, and compare current environmental policies governing ASEAN and the EU. To ensure a comprehensive and objective study, this paper will utilize two established theoretical frameworks, namely Comparative Institutional Analysis and Political Analysis. These frameworks will consider the complex institutional and political intricacies that underpin both regions. Moreover, this study will argue the importance of green diplomacy in promoting collaboration and knowledge-sharing as a fundamental step towards an institutionally standardized environmental policy that will benefit both ASEAN and the EU by drawing on a range of relevant literature and case studies. It will investigate in further detail specific ways in which green diplomacy advances the integration of environmental policies and identify best practices that enable cooperation and collaboration. This research works under the liberal assumption that sustainable development goals will be achieved not by centralized authority but through intergovernmental bargaining wherein states are actors that play a critical role in the achievement of SDGs. The research findings will reveal the potential for collaboration between ASEAN and the EU founded on mutual respect and a shared commitment to advance environmental sustainability. By highlighting the importance of institutionalizing sustainability, this study will help facilitate a transition to a more equitable future as it reaffirms both the region's environmental goals carrying on to play a vital role in resolving one of the world’s most pressing issues today, climate change.