Kuala Lumpur (VNA)✱ – The 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME-18) officially opened on September 2 in Langkawi, Malaysia, with a focus on enhancing regional cooperation to deal with urgent environmental challenges.

This event is expected to be an important foundation for member countries to build a unified and decisive voice at the upcoming 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Speaking at the opening session of the preparatory meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials, Dr Ching Thoo, Secretary-General of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) of Malaysia, stressed that the preparation is a strategic step to ensure that ASEAN continues to provide practical and concrete solutions for the people in the region. Ching pointed out that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is facing significant environmental challenges, including the increasing impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and threats to food, water and energy security. To address these complex and interrelated issues, he called on ASEAN countries to reaffirm their shared commitment to sustainability, resilience and inclusiveness. There is a need for closer cooperation, enhanced enforcement and innovative approaches, such as the circular economy and green finance. AMME-18 is being held in conjunction with the 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. The event, which runs from September 2-4, is attended by around 200 delegates, including ministers and senior officials from the 10 member states, Timor Leste, and key dialogue partners such as the European Union (EU) and Japan. According to Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, one of the main objectives of the conference is to coordinate collective action to enhance regional policy and cooperation on environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management and climate change resilience. The most important outcome is expected to be the adoption of the ASEAN Joint Statement for COP30, a document that represents the bloc’s unified stance at the global climate negotiations. Among other matters on the agenda throughout the three-day meeting is the proposed establishment of a Southeast Asia Alliance Group within the global climate negotiation process, designed to strengthen the region's influence in shaping international climate policies. Progress updates are also expected on the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change (ACCC), the formulation of the ASEAN Post-2025 Strategic Plan on the Environment, and the ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan. ASEAN environment ministers and senior officials will discuss regional cooperation on sustainability and inclusive environmental management, aimed at coordinating collective action to strengthen policies, strategies and regional cooperation in areas such as environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, sustainable management of natural resources and climate resilience. Meanwhile, sessions with dialogue partners, the EU, and Japan, will focus on cooperation in environment and climate change, with emphasis on sharing technology and best practices to advance sustainable development in the region./.