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epresentatives from 10 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and the private sector in Singapore have met to discuss and give recommendations on how to tackle the haze.

Two main items were on the agenda: to review the recent Singaporean government and civil society initiatives related to the haze, and to brainstorm recommendations to address the region'€™s haze problem in the long term.

During the two-hour session, participants welcomed the recent government efforts to adopt the ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System to address the haze, but felt that a sustained public interest on the haze was lacking to ensure the problem stayed at the top of the public'€™s agenda.

Incentive and penalty recommendations aimed at the oil palm companies, farmers and consumers were also proposed for consideration.

This is the first time since the haze incident in June this year that an informal discussion on the haze involving members of academia, NGOs and private sector representatives has taken place.

The informal discussions serve as a lead-up to Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA'€™s) upcoming official NGO roundtable event on Nov. 1, where representatives from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will take part in a panel discussion.

Smaller and separate dialogue sessions discussing issues ranging from the environment, sustainable consumption and production of resources, as well as regional collaboration on the haze will also be held.

A full set of findings and recommendations from both meetings will be forwarded to the relevant ministries for further deliberation on how to tackle the haze.

Cheryl Tan
Singapore