1. The 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COP-17) was held on 20 October 2022 in Singapore. The Meeting was attended by Ministers, officials and/or representatives for the environment, for land, forest fires and haze, from ASEAN Member States, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, under the Chairpersonship of H.E. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Singapore. The 17th Meeting of the Committee under Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (COM-17) preceded the Meeting.

2. The Meeting noted the review and outlook of weather and smoke haze situation presented by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC). In the Mekong sub-region, the extended period of dry weather between January and April 2022 contributed to an increase in hotspot and smoke haze activities. The situation intensified in early to mid-April 2022. However the situation improved in end April when shower activities resumed. Overall hotspot count for the Mekong sub-region was around 23% lower in 2022 compared to 2021 between January and September. Above normal rainfall was observed over many parts of the southern ASEAN region during the dry season.  Intermittent dry periods in early to mid-August 2022 led to an escalation in hotspot and smoke haze. However, the risk of transboundary haze remained low for the Southern ASEAN region. Overall hotspot count for the Southern ASEAN region was around 12% lower in 2022 compared to 2021 between January and September. For the rest of the year, La Niña conditions are forecast to persist and the negative phase of the IOD is expected to weaken. Hotspot activities are expected to increase in the Mekong sub-region with the start of its traditional dry season in December 2022. The Meeting noted ASMC’s initiatives in advancing its remote sensing capabilities and haze dispersion modelling system for the monitoring and assessment of the regional fire and haze situation. ASMC informed the Meeting that the ASMC Regional Capability Building Programme will be extended for another 5 years until 2027, with new programmes such as an attachment programme at ASMC, to complement existing workshops.

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