On 29 October 2024, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, together with H.E. Mr. Chalermchai Sri-on, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment 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”. 

During the Launch Ceremony, the Ministers reaffirmed the 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 Environment Ministries of all three countries, in carrying out plans to address the problem, 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 event also featured an exhibition on existing sub-regional and regional cooperation on tackling transboundary haze pollution, presented by the Pollution Control Department, the Department of ASEAN Affairs, the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), GIZ, and ADPC, as well as an e-book entitled “Another Breath to Live,” from Mountain Mind Publishing Company.