Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar Join Hands in Launching the Joint Plan of Action – CLEAR Sky Strategy, Reaffirm Commitment to Concrete Cooperation to Tackle Transboundary Haze Pollution
On 29 October 2024, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, together with H.E. Mr. Chalermchai Sri-on, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Mrs. Bounkham Vorlachit, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and H.E. Mr. Khin Maung Yi, Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, officially launched the “Joint Plan of Action – CLEAR Sky Strategy” at Vithes Samosorn Hall. Following the launch ceremony of the Joint Plan of Action-CLEAR Sky Strategy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment co-organised a Seminar on measures to tackle transboundary haze issues in ASEAN. The events were attended by 450 participants from relevant Thai agencies, representatives from ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, international organisations, civil society organisations, and members of the public.
During the Launch Ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR, and the Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar reaffirmed commitment to tackle transboundary haze issues. In his opening remarks, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand alongside the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar in carrying out plans to address the problems, including capacity building and exchanges of innovation. The Joint Plan of Action specifies concrete cooperation among Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar for 2024 to 2030, including cooperation on fire control and suppression, the reduction of hotspots, strengthening forecast and monitoring systems, promoting sustainable agricultural management, strengthening law enforcement, and promoting inter-agency coordination.
Following the Launch Ceremony, experts from Thailand Singapore, Indonesia, China, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank Group, Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) shared their experiences and best practices in the Seminar on CLEAR Sky Strategy – Tackling Transboundary Haze Pollution in ASEAN, and also exchanged views on how promote cooperation among ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners, and international organisations on this issue.
The Seminar also featured an exhibition on existing sub-regional and regional cooperation on tackling transboundary haze pollution, presented by the Pollution Control Department, Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), GIZ, and ADPC, as well as an e-book, entitled “Another Breath to Live,” from Mountain Mind Publishing Company.
