Singapore to Ratify Haze Centre as 2027 ASEAN Chair — SkimNews
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- Singapore will submit its instrument of ratification for the Indonesia-based coordinating centre within the next few days, urge other ASEAN members to ratify, and use its 2027 chairmanship to strengthen implementation of the haze agreement, including sustainable land and peatland management and crop-burning guidelines.
- ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was adopted in 2002 as ASEAN’s first legally binding pact on the issue, and the proposed coordinating centre can come into force only after six member states ratify its establishment agreement.
- Grace Fu said some ASEAN member states have indicated they will raise transboundary haze at upcoming regional meetings; Singapore will support the discussions and share how it intends to act against companies responsible.
- Singapore and Indonesia announced a joint task force on Oct 27 to probe firms linked to forest fires.
- Indonesia informed Singapore on Oct 19 that it could handle the situation and did not need foreign assistance; Singapore said it remains ready to help if preventative measures fail and assistance is needed and welcomed.
- Malaysia recently urged ASEAN to revisit the 2002 transboundary haze pact, while Singapore is working to strengthen its implementation and establish a coordinating centre in Indonesia.
Why it matters: For Singapore, the concrete commitment is submitting its ratification in the next few days; the new centre itself needs six ASEAN ratifications to take effect. Corporate probes and implementation work add enforcement to a 2002 pact, but Indonesia’s Oct 19 statement that it did not need foreign assistance makes Singapore’s assistance offer conditional on failed prevention and requested aid.
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