On 30 September 2026, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, together with the relevant agencies, organised the “CLEAR Sky Strategy: A Green Tech Conference Towards a Haze-Free ASEAN.” The event was attended by over 200 participants from government agencies, embassies and delegations of ASEAN Dialogue Partners, the Thai and foreign private sectors, academic institutions, and civil society organisations.

On this occasion, H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met with H.E. Mrs. Thongchanh Akhamakhet, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the Lao PDR, and H.E. Mr. Hla Maung Thein, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar, and visited exhibitions showcasing transboundary haze management and the Joint Plan of Action-CLEAR Sky Strategy, as well as innovations organised by the participating agencies and companies.

In his Opening Remarks, H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in addressing transboundary haze. He also stressed that the Conference’s main objectives were to discuss suitable technologies to tackle transboundary haze in the Subregion, particularly through advancing cooperation on innovations with ASEAN Dialogue Partners, as well as to provide appropriate policy recommendations on further action.

In their remarks, H.E. Dr. Raweewan Bhuridej, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the Lao PDR, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar, underscored the readiness of their respective countries to take concrete action under the CLEAR Sky Strategy to address haze pollution. They also joined Vice Minister Vijavat in launching the Fire Risk Map and the Air4Mekong Platform, a geospatial innovation and an application platform that show hotspots, burned areas, forecast fire-risk areas, and serve as a joint platform for monitoring and surveillance of the haze situation in Thailand, the Lao PDR, and Myanmar, which can be viewd here. 

During the Conference, representatives from environment-related ministries of the three countries, and representatives of agencies and the private sector from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, namely Australia, China, Japan, the United States, and the European Union, exchanged views on appropriate technologies to address transboundary haze in the Subregion under three sub-themes: (1) Transboundary Haze Management Technology, (2) Data Monitoring and Analysis Technology, and (3) Sustainable Agricultural Technology.

The Conference represents the continuous efforts of relevant agencies of the three countries following the Leaders’ Meeting among Thailand, the Lao PDR, and Myanmar in 2023 and the launch of the Joint Action Plan to address transboundary haze under the CLEAR Sky Strategy (2024-2030) in 2024. The event was also supported by the Thailand Environment Institute, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). With support of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage to offset carbon emissions from the conference with carbon credits from the forestry sector programme, the Conference was also declared a net-zero event.

A recording of the Conference can be viewed here.