Myanmar hosts 10th meeting of Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in Mekong Sub-Region

Myanmar hosted the 10th meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution in the Mekong Sub-Region via videoconferencing yesterday.
The Union minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation presided over the meeting and the representatives of Mekong Sub-Region countries, ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre joined the event.
During the meeting, the Union minister said, the world is threatened by environmental problems and challenges such as scarcity of natural resources, deforestation, destruction of ecosystems, degradation of biodiversity, water pollution and air pollution.
Although the Mekong region is rich in various ecosystems such as forests, native plants and animals, minerals, wetlands and marine resources, regional cooperation is now important to prevent the occurrence of such challenges, especially the wildfire and transboundary haze pollution are the environmental challenge to resolve urgently by the ASEAN region countries, including Mekong regions.
Myanmar drafts the national level haze pollution management plan and will closely cooperate with Mekong regions in implementing the pledges to reduce the transboundary haze pollution.
Then, ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre discussed the haze condition of the Mekong regions, while Myanmar delegate clarified the report of the 16th Mekong Sub-Regions Transboundary Haze Pollution Committee and representative of ASEAN Secretariat reviewed the ASEAN cooperation roadmap towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control and ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy.
The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre released a statement to support the techniques, implement plans to reduce fire outbreaks, promote regional cooperation and reduce hot spots according to Chiang Rai 2017 Plan of Action. Afterwards, the participants coordinated the discussion.
Then, the Union minister conducted an inspection tour to 500 acres training forest of the Myanmar Forest School in the Maymyo forest reserve of PyinOoLwin.
During the visit, he instructed the necessary things to the officials of the forest reserve. — MNA