ASEAN - Association of South-East Asian Nations

07/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/09/2026 21:12

Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution

  1. The Twenty-seventh Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (27th MSC) was held on 9 July 2026 in Bali, Indonesia. The Meeting was attended by Ministers, senior officials and/or representatives for land, forest fires and haze, from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, under the Chairpersonship of H.E. Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, Minister of Environment of Indonesia. The Twenty-seventh Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Transboundary Haze Pollution (27th TWG) preceded the Meeting.

  3. The Meeting reaffirmed their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Strategic Plan for the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 whereby it has been mandated to enhance the implementation of regional agreements, such as the AATHP, as well as strengthen the capabilities of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control, in order to achieve a sustainable community that advances ASEAN's sustainability agenda in coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2030 global development agenda.

  5. The Meeting expressed appreciation to Indonesia for its continued efforts in preparing for the establishment and operationalisation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC), including progress on legal and procedural arrangements as well as key operational documents, infrastructure and facilities, technology and monitoring capabilities, organisational structure, and financial support, and expressed appreciation to Viet Nam for its Instrument of Approval to the Establishment Agreement of the ACC THPC. The Meeting also took note the domestic ratification process being undertaken by the MSC countries and underscored the importance of timely deposit of the instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession by the ASEAN Member States necessary for its entry into force to ensure its full operationalisation.

  7. The Meeting welcomed the Implementation Plan of the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management (AIF-HFSLM) to complement and support the implementation of the Haze-Free Roadmap (Haze-Free Roadmap) and the Second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2023-2030. The Meeting encouraged deepening partnerships with existing Dialogue Partners, and exploring new partnerships, to address the root causes and drivers of fire and haze, through sustainable forest and peatland management, and haze-free agriculture practices and commodity sectors, with a view to realising our vision for a Transboundary Haze-Free ASEAN by 2030.

  9. 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 overall hotspot counts across the southern ASEAN region in the first half of 2026 increased by approximately 86% compared to the same period in 2025, driven in part by the drier-than-normal conditions over many parts of the region during January, March and April 2026. ASMC reported that the current El Niño conditions are forecast to persist through the second half of 2026 and likely to become strong from August - September 2026. Positive IOD is predicted to develop in July - August 2026. Based on latest climate outlooks, below-normal rainfall is expected over most parts of the southern ASEAN region in the coming months. Under these conditions, the hotspot and smoke haze situation could escalate, increasing the risk of transboundary smoke haze occurrence under prevailing southeasterly or southwesterly winds. The situation could intensify further should a strong El Niño develop, raising the likelihood of extended periods of persistent dry conditions. The Meeting welcomed ASMC's continuous efforts to improve its products and services in haze dispersion modelling, developments on its burnt area mapping products and ENSO monitoring refinement, and as well as its regional capability-building programme.

  11. 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 MET Malaysia's assessment on low Fire Weather Index (FWI) during July to December 2025 which contributed to the lower hotspot activity compared to 2024 in the southern ASEAN region. The Meeting also noted the deployment of two additional Automated Auxiliary Weather Stations (AAWS) at peatland reserve forests in Peninsular Malaysia for effective early fire risk detection, as well as the launch of Malaysian Community Air Quality Model (MyCMAQ) in March 2026 as a real-time operational air quality forecasting system to provide routine, high-resolution forecasts of atmospheric pollutants over Malaysia and the Southeast Asia region.
  12. The Meeting, in view of the ASMC's report on the onset of El Nino conditions in June 2026 and MET Malaysia's expectation of more challenging hot and dry weather due to the El Niño phenomenon, reaffirmed its commitment to taking coordinated action with communities, businesses, civil society, development partners, and relevant government agencies to strengthen prevention, preparedness, suppression, and mitigation efforts, as well as necessary support, in line with the Haze-Free Roadmap and the ASEAN Standard Operating Procedure for Monitoring, Assessment, and Joint Emergency Response (SOP MAJER).

  14. The Meeting agreed that bilateral cooperation complemented regional efforts, including the implementation of the AATHP, and noted the recent Memorandum of Understanding between Indonesia and Singapore on Bilateral Partnership on Environmental Cooperation, which included cooperation on transboundary pollution, among other areas.

  16. The Meeting agreed to explore and assess the feasibility of incorporating science diplomacy within the AATHP framework through existing mechanisms or the establishment of new platforms, as appropriate; as well as to examine the feasibility of enhancing the ASEAN Transboundary Haze Pollution Control Fund by diversifying contributions from other relevant stakeholders and expanding its utilisation for scientific research and science diplomacy initiatives, supported by a transparent and accountable governance framework.

  18. The Meeting looked forward to the convening of the 21st Meeting of the Committee under the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM-21) and the 21st Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-21) tentatively in October 2026 in Da Nang, Viet Nam.

  20. The Meeting expressed their appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for hosting the 27th MSC Meeting and the excellent arrangements made. The 28th MSC Meeting will be held in Malaysia in 2027.

Image credit: Ministry of Environment of Indonesia

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