Regional Environmental Ties Strengthened At ASOEN-36 Meeting In KL

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- ASEAN countries and regional dialogue partners continue to strengthen cooperation on environmental and climate change issues through the 36th ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment Meeting (ASOEN-36), held here today.

The meeting featured three key dialogue sessions - the 19th ASEAN-Japan Dialogue on Environmental Cooperation, the 5th ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change, and the ASEAN-European Union (EU) High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), these dialogues serve as strategic platforms to enhance regional cooperation between ASEAN member states and dialogue partners in addressing environmental and climate challenges collectively and effectively.

“Key topics discussed included the progress status of the Strategic Programme for ASEAN Environment and Climate (SPACE). This initiative was developed to address three pressing environmental challenges in the ASEAN region — climate change, pollution control and biodiversity conservation.

“Through these discussions, various programmes and initiatives were identified to support the implementation of SPACE towards sustainable development in the region, such as the Regional Knowledge Centre for Marine Plastic Debris (RKC-MPD) (ERIA) and the ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (ACCSAP),” the statement said.

NRES added that discussions also emphasised efforts to control marine litter through the implementation of joint programmes under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP-MALI).

The action plan reflects the strong commitment and cooperation among ASEAN countries to enhance integrated marine waste management efforts at the regional level.

In a move to reinforce regional collaboration towards transitioning to a circular economy, NRES announced that the ASEAN Circular Economy Forum (ACEF) 2025 will be hosted in Malaysia this October, with support from the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI).

This forum serves as a strategic platform for formulating and coordinating approaches for the transition to a circular economy through national policies and regional initiatives aligned with sustainable development goals.

“Malaysia actively participated in today’s discussions and expressed its appreciation for the support extended by ASEAN dialogue partners.

“Malaysia hopes that this cooperation will continue in areas such as capacity building, technical development, and information sharing platforms to address climate change, waste management, environmental education, sustainable urban development, plastic pollution, and biodiversity conservation,” the statement added.

-- BERNAMA