Media Release of the Twelfth Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in The Mekong Sub-Region (12th MSC Mekong)
November 30, 2023
Location: Nha Trang, Viet Nam
The Twelfth Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region (12th MSC Mekong) was held on 30 November 2023 in Nha Trang, Viet Nam. The Meeting was attended by Ministers, senior officials and/or representatives for land, forest fires and haze from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, under the Chairpersonship of H.E. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam. The Eighteenth Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region (18th TWG Mekong) preceded the Meeting.
The Meeting noted the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC’s) review and outlook of the weather and smoke haze situation in the Mekong sub-region. The Mekong sub-region experienced prolonged dry weather conditions during the dry season between December 2022 and May 2023. The hotspot and haze situation reached a peak in March and April 2023, as widespread moderate to dense transboundary haze was observed to affect large parts of Lao PDR, Myanmar and northern Thailand on many days. Alert Level 3 was issued for the sub-region on 2 March 2023 as the situation worsened. The onset of the upcoming dry season is likely in end 2023. Current El Niño conditions are forecast to weaken from January 2024 and continue at least until February/March 2024. The Meeting noted the first run of ASMC’s new attachment programme was conducted for participants from Lao PDR and Myanmar in March-April 2023, and upcoming programme focusing on improving subseasonal-to-seasonal predictions for the region will be held early next year. Under its Capability-Building Programme (ACaP), five workshops/forums had been conducted this year.
The Meeting recalled the transboundary haze situation and the “Very Unhealthy” levels of Air Quality Index in the northern ASEAN sub-region early this year. As the sub-region is entering its traditional dry season, the Meeting acknowledged the effects of climate change, such as more frequent drought and other extreme weather events, may increase the risk of elevated hotspot activities and transboundary smoke haze occurrence since 2019. The Meeting reiterated its commitment to intensifying in-country actions through respective National Action Plans and prioritising fire prevention, early warning, monitoring, and fire suppression to minimise the occurrence of transboundary haze during periods of drier weather.
The Meeting reaffirmed its commitment at the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-18) on 23 August 2023 in Lao PDR and welcomed the adoption of the Second Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (Haze-free Roadmap) 2023-2030 and the Second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2023-2030 to further strengthening, intensifying, and comprehensively addressing the root causes of transboundary haze pollution, as well as the endorsed ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-free Sustainable Land Management to enhance multi-stakeholder partnerships and securing resources at local, national and regional levels to promote sustainable land management and effectively address transboundary haze issues.
The Meeting commended the successful conclusion of the Establishment Agreement of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC). The Meeting looked forward to the full operationalisation of the Centre in Indonesia which will facilitate faster and effective implementation of all aspects of the AATHP to address transboundary haze pollution in the ASEAN region, including the Standard Operating Procedures for Monitoring, Evaluation and Joint Emergency Response (SOP MAJER).
The Meeting noted to consider the challenges faced by MSC Mekong countries and agreed to aim a tentative target of 30% hotspot reduction in 2023. In this regard, whilst ambitious, the MSC Mekong countries agreed to join hands together to achieve the hotspot reduction target for the year 2024 at 35% and 2025 at 40% hotspot reduction targets under the new targets of the Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action.
The Meeting thanked the support and highlighted the valuable contribution of Partners through the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA), GEF-6 Project on Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Mekong Countries by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Measurable Action for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in Southeast Asia (MAHFSA). The Meeting continued to call upon the Partners and other external parties in developing stronger cooperation to advance the implementation of the Second Roadmap, the Second APMS and the new ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management.
The 13th MSC Mekong Meeting will be held in Cambodia in 2024.
