Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Written Reply to Parliamentary Question No. 3275, 3 November 2026

QUESTION

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what specific steps does Singapore intend to take on transboundary haze during its ASEAN chairmanship in 2027; and (b) how will Singapore raise the issue at upcoming regional meetings, including the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in November 2026.

REPLY

Singapore has been working closely with our neighbours, bilaterally and through ASEAN, to address transboundary haze. We host the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), which provides ASEAN Member States (AMS) with regional weather and climate assessments, monitors fires and smoke haze, and disseminates satellite imagery and hot spot information.

The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) is the key framework for AMS to work collectively to prevent, monitor and mitigate land and forest fires and the resultant haze. We will work with AMS to strengthen the implementation of the AATHP during our ASEAN Chairmanship, including working towards the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC) in Indonesia. This requires at least six AMS to ratify the Establishment Agreement of the ACC THPC. Singapore will submit our Instrument of Ratification for the Establishment Agreement of the ACC THPC in the next few days, and we will strongly encourage other AMS to do so. Once operational, the ACC THPC will strengthen regional cooperation and coordination in managing land and forest fires and transboundary haze.

Beyond the AATHP, we will work with other AMS to enhance the implementation of relevant initiatives in other ASEAN sectoral pillars that tackle the root causes of transboundary haze such as sustainable land and peatland management, and guidelines on crop burning.

Some AMS have indicated they will be raising the transboundary haze issue at the upcoming ASEAN meetings. We support such discussions as transboundary haze is a collective challenge for our region. We will share how Singapore intends to act against companies responsible for the haze, including those registered in Singapore, as well as how we are cooperating with Indonesia to hold errant companies to account and to prevent the recurrence of transboundary haze.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

3 NOVEMBER 2026