Tag: Haze

Financing and Investment for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in ASEAN

Posted on | by Dyah Ratri

This first side event was co-organised by the Government of Malaysia together with GEC, in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and IFAD.

It featured key speakers discussing the strategies to halt massive peatland, forest and land fires that causing transboundary haze in Southeast Asia by securing multi-stakeholder partnerships and US$1.5 billion to finance sustainable low-emission land management in ASEAN.

The forum concluded with a closing remarks highlighting that investment framework for haze-free sustainable land management is one of the key mechanisms to prevent transboundary haze and forming alliance between organisations is crucial to ensure haze-free ASEAN.

The forum was attended by in person delegates and followed by online participants via Facebook Live of the Ministry of Environment and Water Malaysia. Speakers included: Dr Vong Sok, Head of Environment of ASEAN Secretariat; Mr Faizal Parish, Director of GEC; Mr Pierre Yves Guedez, Senior Climate Specialist of IFAD; Ms. Elim Sritaba, Chief Sustainability Officer of Asia Pulp & Paper; Mr. David McCauley, Advisory Team of ASEAN Investment Framework; and Ms Luanne Sieh, Head of Group Sustainability of CIMB Group.

Watch the Forum on Facebook Live
Download the Presentation Deck

SUPA Component 1 organised webinar on the development of a new ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy 2022-2030

Posted on | by Dyah Ratri

The ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2006-2020 was developed in 2005 and adopted by ASEAN in 2006. Based on the Final Review of the APMS – completed and agreed by the ASEAN Member States in January 2021 – it was recommended that a new APMS 2022-2030 should be reformulated to maintain and scale-up action for sustainable peatland management in the region. The development of the new APMS 2022-2030 is being supported by Sustainable Use of Peatlands and Haze Management in ASEAN (SUPA) Programme Component 1.

As part of the formulation of the APMS 2022-2030, a Webinar on the Development of a New ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy 2022-2030 (APMS 2022-2030) was conducted on 13 May 2022. The Webinar aimed to provide an opportunity for wide ranging stakeholders including experts, national authorities and NGOs to give their inputs and expert opinion in the new APMS 2022-2030. The Webinar was attended by 132 participants, consisted of the Task Force Members for the Development of the new APMS 2022-2030, representatives from the Committee under Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM AATHP), ASEAN Task Force on Peatlands (ATFP), Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF), ASEAN Peatland Partners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), universities and research institutions from the ASEAN and other regions, as well as private sectors.

Dr. Vong Sok, Head of Environment Division of the ASEAN Secretariat and Mr. Muamar Vebry, Programme Manager for Climate Change, Delegation of the European Union (EU) to ASEAN delivered their opening remarks at the Webinar. Dr. Vong emphasised the importance of peatland management in ASEAN in addressing transboundary haze pollution, with APMS as a workplan to address the pressing need for wise use and sustainable management of peatlands. He also underlined the result of the Final Review of the previous APMS (2006-2020) which reaffirmed the values of sustainable peatland management in the region by means of collective actions and enhanced cooperation. Mr. Vebry highlighted that the EU and the German Government, through SUPA Programme, have been supporting the Final Review of the initial APMS 2006-2020 as well the development of the new APMS 2022-2030. He also conveyed that the EU, as the region which also has significant peatland areas, would be pleased to share lessons learn and knowledge in peatland management.

The consultants from Asian Management Consulting (AMC) presented the focal areas and action plan of the new APMS, followed by discussion session. Then, all participants were divided into four breakout sessions on different topics, where they discussed and gave technical feedback through Mural board.

The inputs from the Webinar are found to be wide ranging with invaluable insight for the development of a new ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy 2022-2030, particularly for the new APMS 2022-2030 to be developed as an ambitious and robust strategy in addressing the challenge in peatland management in the ASEAN Region.

Following the Webinar, AMC would incorporate the insights received to develop the draft new APMS 2022-2030 to be further discussed and adopted by the ASEAN Member States.

Indonesia Deposits Instrument of Ratification of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution

Posted on | by superadmin | Leave a Comment on Indonesia Deposits Instrument of Ratification of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution

JAKARTA, 20 January 2015 – H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, the Director General for ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, today deposited Indonesia’s Instrument of Ratification of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution with H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

Ambassador Puja conveyed his Government’s appreciation to the ASEAN Secretariat and the other ASEAN Member States (AMS) for the support and encouragement extended to Indonesia in concluding the ratification process. He informed SG Minh that the ratification of the Agreement was approved by Indonesia’s Parliament through Law No. 26 Year 2014.

SG Minh congratulated Indonesia for the ratification and commended the country for its efforts and commitment to working collectively with other AMS to address the transboundary haze pollution issues under the framework of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

The Governments of the ten ASEAN Member Countries signed the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) on 10 June 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and it entered into force on 25 November 2003. The Agreement is the first regional arrangement in the world that binds a group of contiguous states to tackle transboundary haze pollution resulting from land and forest fires. It has also been considered as a global role model for the tackling of transboundary issues. With Indonesia’s ratification, the Agreement has now been ratified by all ASEAN Member States.