Joint Statement on the Lancang-Mekong Clean Air Initiative

The Ninth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Chiang Mai, the Kingdom of Thailand, on 16 August 2024. We, the Heads of Delegations to the Ninth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting, reaffirmed our commitment to implement the consensus on clean air as agreed upon in the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration of the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders' Meeting and the Five-Year Plan of Action of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2023-2027). In this context, the Heads of Delegations issue the joint statement as follows:

1. We share the view that the Lancang-Mekong region has experienced increasing air pollution especially the fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) which has affected people's health, and caused ecological, environmental, economic, and social impacts;

2. We commend the six member countries for their individual and collective efforts, in close alignment with the goals and roadmaps related to air pollution, in developing and implementing measures to prevent, monitor, and respond to air pollution;

3. We commend the support from China, through the LMC Special Fund and other funding sources, for cooperative projects to alleviate air pollution in the region, including "Monitoring and Assessment of Air Quality Project (Myanmar)", "A Sustainable Supply Chain for Managing Agricultural Waste in the Mekong region Project (Thailand)", "PM10 and PM 2.5 from Haze Smog and Visibility Effect (Thailand)", and encourage the member countries to continue cooperation in this area;

4. We reiterate the importance of enhancing regional cooperation to mitigate the impact of PM 2.5 and safeguarding public health. Factors such as agricultural burning, forest fire, slash and burn or shifting cultivation contribute to elevated PM 2.5 levels. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort to improve air quality monitoring, and promote sustainable practices;

5. We strive to promote public awareness and stakeholder participation in combating air pollution in the region.  We also encourage the multi-stakeholder mobilization of financial, human, and technological resources, in order to secure adequate resources for air pollution prevention;

6. We emphasize the role of national and local governments in addressing the problem of air pollution and encourage them to fully leverage their comparative strengths to enhance sub-regional and regional cooperation and exchanges;  

7. We encourage the competent authorities of the member countries on air pollution and environmental issues to intensify their engagements and jointly carry out concrete cooperation activities and measures, as well as joint research that could yield tangible and positive benefits to the people in the Lancang-Mekong region in a sustainable manner.