Malaysia pushes science diplomacy and a sustainable haze fund to strengthen ASEAN efforts against transboundary haze pollution.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has proposed the implementation of Science Diplomacy and a Sustainable Haze Fund to strengthen efforts under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) at the 27th Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution (MSC) Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, yesterday.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) said the proposals were presented by Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, who led Malaysia’s delegation to the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Indonesia’s Minister of Environment Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, with Malaysia serving as deputy chair.
It was attended by environment ministers and senior officials from ASEAN’s southern region, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat.
“The 27th MSC meeting agreed to explore and assess the feasibility of Science Diplomacy within the AATHP framework through existing mechanisms or the establishment of suitable new platforms,” NRES said in a statement today.
NRES said all MSC member countries reaffirmed their commitment to the effective implementation of the AATHP and welcomed Indonesia’s ongoing efforts and preparations to establish and operate the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC).
“The meeting welcomed developments under the ASEAN Investment Framework for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management (AIF-HFSLM) as a complementary initiative to the Second ASEAN Haze-Free Roadmap 2023–2030 and the Second ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy (APMS) 2023-2030.
“It also encouraged cooperation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners to support forest, peatland and sustainable agricultural management efforts towards achieving a Haze-Free ASEAN by 2030,” the statement read.
NRES said the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) presented its weather and haze outlook for the southern ASEAN region at the meeting.
“There was an 86% increase in the number of hotspots during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, following hotter and drier weather conditions in January, March and April 2026.
“ASMC also expects the El Nino phenomenon to continue throughout the second half of 2026 and intensify from August to September, potentially causing prolonged dry conditions.
“Most areas in the southern ASEAN region are expected to receive below-normal rainfall in the coming months, which could increase hotspots and the risk of transboundary haze,” it said.
The ministry said the MSC meeting recognised the continued efforts by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) to strengthen the operational capacity of the Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System (SEA FDRS).
MET Malaysia also presented updates on SEA FDRS, including the installation of three Automated Auxiliary Weather Stations (AAWS) in forest reserves across Peninsular Malaysia to improve early detection of forest and peatland fire risks.
In addition, the Malaysian Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (MyCMAQ), an air quality forecasting model, was launched in March 2026 to predict air quality and monitor haze pollution in Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian region.
“Based on projections by ASMC and MET Malaysia regarding El Nino and hotter, drier weather conditions, the 27th MSC meeting reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening prevention efforts.
“This includes preparedness, firefighting and coordinated response measures involving all stakeholders in line with the Second Haze-Free Roadmap 2023–2030 and the Standard Operating Procedures for Monitoring, Assessment and Joint Emergency Response (SOP MAJER),” NRES said.
The meeting also agreed to study ways to strengthen the ASEAN Haze Fund by expanding sources of contributions and broadening its scope of use to support scientific research and Science Diplomacy initiatives through transparent and accountable governance.
The 21st Committee and Conference of Parties to the AATHP is scheduled to take place in October in Da Nang, Vietnam. Malaysia will chair and host the 28th MSC meeting, which is expected to be held in June 2027 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Meanwhile, NRES said Arthur and his Indonesian counterpart held a bilateral meeting, during which both countries proposed several areas of cooperation to explore in the environmental and climate change sectors.
“Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to continue strengthening cooperation and efforts to monitor and prevent transboundary haze pollution in the region,” the ministry said.
