Panel Discussion II: Enhancing ASEAN, Dialogue Partners, and Expert Organisations’ Cooperation in Supporting the CLEAR Sky Strategy
Chiang Rai, Thailand, December 4, 2025 — The Mekong Institute (MI) reaffirmed its commitment to advancing practical, cross-sector solutions to combat transboundary haze pollution across the Mekong subregion during a key panel discussion at the “Dialogue with Stakeholders: Advancing the Joint Plan of Action of the CLEAR Sky Strategy.” Co-hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the dialogue convened more than 250 participants from ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners, expert organizations, civil society, and the private sector.
The panel brought together representatives from Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Environmental Control Agency, the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), GIZ Thailand, and the Mekong Institute to explore concrete pathways for strengthening regional and international cooperation in support of the CLEAR Sky Strategy.
Representing MI, Ms. Orn-uma Polpanich, Director of the Agricultural Development and Commercialization (ADC) Department, highlighted the critical role of regional and international partnerships in translating the CLEAR Sky Strategy into tangible, community-level outcomes.
CLEAR Sky Built on Strong ASEAN Foundations
Ms. Orn-uma emphasized that the CLEAR Sky Strategy builds upon existing ASEAN cooperation frameworks rather than creating parallel mechanisms. The trilateral Joint Plan of Action (2024–2030) between Thailand, Lao PDR, and Myanmar was developed under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and aligns with the ASEAN Haze-Free Roadmap.
“The most practical cooperation we can promote is to strengthen delivery through existing ASEAN and Mekong mechanisms that countries already trust, rather than creating new parallel tracks,” she said.
Her remarks echoed Thailand’s renewed commitment to trilateral cooperation under CLEAR Sky and underscored the importance of inclusive engagement across government agencies, communities, the private sector, and development partners.
MI’s Regional Mandate and Capacity
Established in 1996, the Mekong Institute is an intergovernmental organization jointly mandated by the six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) members: Cambodia; China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region); Lao PDR; Myanmar; Thailand; and Viet Nam. MI delivers regional projects, advisory services, network secretariat functions, capacity development programs, structured learning visits, and facilitates policy dialogues and applied research.
MI also actively supports subregional cooperation frameworks, including ASEAN haze cooperation, the GMS Economic Cooperation Program, Lancang–Mekong Cooperation (LMC), and other Mekong-Plus initiatives with partners such as Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States.
Practical Cooperation Messages for CLEAR Sky Delivery
Drawing from MI’s operational experience across the Mekong region, Ms. Orn-uma outlined seven key cooperation actions to accelerate effective delivery of the CLEAR Sky Strategy:
- Make CLEAR Sky a Focused Joint Work Programme
As haze is closely linked to land use and livelihoods, cooperation must prioritize scalable alternatives to open burning. These include residue-management machinery pools, fire-free crop systems, regenerative agricultural practices, peatland and upland restoration, and participatory community fire-prevention models. Long-term technical assistance embedded within national extension services is essential to make prevention routine rather than reactive.
- Translate CLEAR Sky into Sub-National Action
Countries must adapt interventions to local contexts, recognizing differences in technology access, resource availability, and frontline personnel capacity. Tailored solutions will enable communities to adopt practices that are both realistic and sustainable.
- Shift from Reactive Monitoring to Proactive Prediction
Regional cooperation should strengthen forecasting and early-warning systems to enable pre-emptive action before hotspot surges occur, rather than responding only after fires escalate.
- Strengthen Last-Mile Risk Communication
MI recommended a simple, shared regional communication mechanism, including:
A seasonal risk communication calendar before, during, and after the burning season; and
Dissemination through trusted channels such as agricultural extension networks, SMS/LINE/WhatsApp platforms, community radio, village leaders, and schools.
The goal is consistent cross-border messaging so communities clearly understand what actions to take as risk levels rise. This approach complements Thailand’s newly launched multilingual public campaign “No Burn, Clear Sky, Clean Air” in Thai, Lao, and Myanmar.
- Adopt a Light but Credible Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Scorecard
Rather than an overly complex framework, countries should track a small, shared set of indicators—such as hotspot density reduction, hectares under fire-free practices, peat restoration area, response time, and community adoption of alternatives. MI, universities, and expert partners can support verification and rapid cross-border lesson-sharing through MI’s existing regional communities of practice.
- Deepen Private-Sector Engagement for Fire-Free Supply Chains
Stronger cooperation with agribusiness and buyers is essential to scale market incentives for non-burning production. This aligns with private-sector momentum highlighted at the Dialogue, including fire-free purchasing models.
“When markets reward farmers for not burning, prevention becomes economically realistic,” Ms. Orn-uma emphasized.
About the Event
On December 4, 2025, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment convened more than 250 participants in Chiang Rai for the “Dialogue with Stakeholders: Advancing the Joint Plan of Action of the CLEAR Sky Strategy.” Presided over by H.E. Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the event reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to deepen trilateral cooperation with Lao PDR and Myanmar to address transboundary haze pollution.
The Dialogue featured two high-level panel discussions: one on advancing sustainable solutions under CLEAR Sky with participation from government, private sector, and civil society; and another on strengthening ASEAN and Dialogue Partner support, with contributions from ASEAN Member States, research institutions, development agencies, and the Mekong Institute.
The programme also marked the launch of the multilingual public campaign “No Burn, Clear Sky, Clean Air” and concluded with a learning visit to the Doi Tung Development Project, showcasing livelihood-based and perennial-crop approaches to reducing open burning.
