PETALING JAYA: A lasting solution to the transboundary haze currently blanketing Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia requires regional cooperation, says the Malaysian representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
Commenting on the Singapore environment agency’s decision to issue notices to seven Indonesian companies to extinguish forest fires that have worsened air quality, AICHR Malaysia's Edmund Bon said national measures were insufficient on their own.
Bon, a former AICHR chair, said there must also be transparency regarding company ownership and control, a fair investigation with due process, and protection for affected communities, including indigenous peoples and local communities.
“Malaysia supports a stronger Asean mechanism so that no country has to act alone,” he told FMT.
Bon, however, lamented that the existing Asean mechanisms, such as the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, have not been fully utilised.
He said this is why AICHR is drafting an action plan to implement the Asean Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment through enforcement, he said.
Bon said that haze-related problems must be seen from a human rights lens.
Singapore’s focus on corporate accountability is consistent with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which require companies to respect human rights wherever they operate.
“The priority is to put out the fires, and people across the region must be able to breathe clean air,” Bon said, adding that the Asean Human Rights Declaration recognises the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment.
Bon said the haze was testing regional relations, but noted that every transboundary human rights issue does the same.
The problem, therefore, could not be ignored and must be dealt with and managed.
“As long as countries act in good faith, respect each other's legal processes and work through Asean mechanisms, these measures need not harm relations. They can even strengthen them by building a shared standard of accountability,” Bon said.
Earlier this month, in a statement, AICHR called on Asean member states to continue strengthening the implementation of environmental laws and policies addressing activities that contributed to agricultural land, peatland, and forest fires, including through environmental impact and risk assessments.
It also underlined the responsibility of business enterprises and other relevant non-state actors to respect the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
"AICHR calls on Asean member states to take all necessary measures to protect the human rights of those affected by transboundary haze pollution, including strengthening relevant national and regional institutions and mechanisms, and enhancing regional cooperation in addressing transboundary environmental impacts," Bon added.