MANILA: Malaysia hopes its proposals to address transboundary haze, including the adoption of Science Diplomacy and establishment of a Sustainable Haze Fund, will receive serious consideration from Asean member states.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the initiatives were aimed at strengthening scientific cooperation and promoting evidence-based decision-making, while ensuring more sustainable financial support for the implementation of the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).
He said Malaysia had put forward the proposals at the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in July.
Malaysia hopes the proposals will be prioritised at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the AATHP in December, he added.
Meanwhile, Anwar said protecting Asean’s biodiversity was not merely an environmental responsibility but a matter of regional sovereignty.
“We are responsible for strengthening regional governance, ensuring biodiversity resources are used sustainably and equitably, and protecting them from exploitation or misuse by external parties,” he said during the plenary session of the 49th Asean Summit.
Yesterday, Asean foreign ministers called for the expedited operation of the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control amid concerns over severe air pollution that has once again affected several Southeast Asian countries.