Media Release of the Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (26th MSC)
July 10, 2025
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
The Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (26th MSC) was held on 10 July 2025 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The Meeting was attended by Ministers, senior officials and/or representatives for land, forest fires and haze, from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN Secretariat, under the Chairpersonship of H.E. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda Haji Abdul Rashid, Minister of Development, Brunei Darussalam. Timor-Leste also attended as Observer. The Twenty-sixth Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution (26th TWG) preceded the Meeting.
The Meeting reaffirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) and congratulated the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of the ASEAN Community by the 46th ASEAN Summit, and further welcomed the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Strategic Plan for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 as a guiding framework for the ASCC.
The Meeting commended on the signing by all ASEAN Member States of the Establishment Agreement of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) and looked forward to the full establishment and operationalisation of the Centre in Indonesia to facilitate faster and effective implementation of the AATHP to address transboundary haze pollution in the region.
The Meeting noted the good progress made in implementing the Second Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (Haze-free Roadmap) 2023-2030, the Second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2023-2030, and the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management which are essential in driving forward our shared vision of a Transboundary Haze- Free ASEAN by 2030. The Meeting also noted the convening of the Ad-Hoc Task Force Meetings of the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-free Sustainable Land Management and Partners’ Dialogue to support ASEAN and the ASEAN Member States to establish multi-stakeholder partnerships and help secure resources at local, national and regional levels to promote sustainable land management and effectively address transboundary haze issues.
The Meeting noted the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC’s) weather and smoke haze review, as well as outlook for the southern ASEAN region. The hotspot counts over the southern ASEAN region for the first half of 2025 was around 43% lower compared to the same period in 2024. Localised smoke plumes were observed during brief dry periods in the first half of 2025. ASMC reported that the ENSO status is currently neutral (neither El Niño nor La Niña), and is expected to remain neutral at least till October 2025. Based on latest climate outlooks, ASMC expects near-normal to above-normal rainfall over most parts of the southern ASEAN region in the coming months. Nonetheless, there continues to be a risk of transboundary smoke haze occurrence as hotspots with smoke plumes/haze can still be expected over fire-prone areas, particularly during periods of drier conditions. The Meeting welcomed the upgrade of the ASMC WMO Information System (WIS), the development of the regional burnt area product, enhancement of the seasonal outlooks of rainfall and temperature, high-resolution regional climate projections data via the online climate visualiser, and upcoming initiatives under its regional capability-building programme.
The Meeting acknowledged the continued efforts of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) to strengthen the operational capacity of the Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System (SEA FDRS). The Meeting noted the key initiatives, which include the deployment of additional Automated Auxiliary Weather Stations (AAWS) under the Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystem in Malaysia (SMPEM GEF-IFAD), the proposed establishment of the FDRS backup system by 2027 to safeguard the continuity of the FDRS services, and planned collaboration with ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) and Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) to support the development of future Fire Weather Indices (FWI) for SEA FDRS projections through 2100.
The Meeting commended the various initiatives and actions by MSC countries on the implementation of the Strategic Review of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee Programmes and Activities. The Meeting acknowledged that deforestation, peat fires, drainage and conversion to agricultural and forestry plantations, remain critical challenges particularly in the southern ASEAN region. The Meeting reiterated its pledge to stay vigilant and intensify their fires monitoring and haze preventive efforts to minimise the occurrence of transboundary smoke haze in cooperation with relevant partners and stakeholders.
The Meeting conveyed appreciation and congratulated the successful completion of the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA) / Strengthening Regional Experiences on Sustainable Peatland Management (REPEAT). The Meeting noted that Measurable Action for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in Southeast Asia (MAHFSA) will reach its completion soon, and welcomed the upcoming Integrated Approaches to Climate Protection and Air Quality Improvement in Southeast Asia / Mekong Sub-region (SEACAI). The Meeting highlighted the need to expand and deepen the collaboration with Partners and stakeholders in strengthening local, national and regional cooperation for a haze-free ASEAN, as well as community empowerment for climate-resilient fire and haze management.
The Meeting looked forward to the convening of the 20th Meeting of the Committee under the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM-20) and the 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-20) in September 2025 in Malaysia.
The Meeting expressed their appreciation to the Government of Brunei Darussalam for hosting the 26th MSC Meeting and the excellent arrangements made. The 27th MSC Meeting will be held in Indonesia in 2026.
