"Phatcharavat" Welcomes Malaysian Environment Minister to Discuss Thai-Malaysian Cooperation on Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Today (June 12, 2024) at 2:00 PM, Pol. Gen. Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, together with Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), and a delegation of executives from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Pollution Control Department, the Department of Mineral Resources, the Department of Climate Change and Environment, and the Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization), welcomed Mr. Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad, Malaysia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), and his delegation. The purpose of the visit was to pay a courtesy call to MNRE’s ministers and discuss cooperation on natural resources and environmental management between Thailand and Malaysia. The meeting took place in the conference room on the 20th floor of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Pol. Gen. Phatcharavat welcomed the Malaysian delegation, emphasizing the long-standing and close relationship between Thailand and Malaysia. He highlighted significant cooperation in the areas of natural resources and environmental management, such as combating illegal wildlife trade, managing mineral resources, and addressing transboundary haze pollution.

The Ministry proposed a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation on combating illegal wildlife and plant trade between Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia, under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change. This MoU aims to enhance cooperation in fighting illegal wildlife trade.

On this occasion, Mr. Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad was invited to attend the 25th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution, where Thailand will serve as the chair and host on July 3, 2024, at Avani Plus Riverside Hotel, Bangkok. Pol. Gen. Phatcharavat also requested that Malaysia expedite the consideration of the draft MoU so that it can be signed during the upcoming meeting.

Mr. Nik Nazmi bin Nik Ahmad expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for their warm welcome and information exchange. He showed interest in the development of a carbon credit certification system, which Malaysia is keen to develop in their own country. He noted that Thailand's carbon credit certification system, the Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER), is the most advanced in the region. He expressed a desire for cooperation in sharing knowledge and experience in this area. Additionally, he mentioned Malaysia's upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025 and expressed hopes for continued collaboration with Thailand and ASEAN. The Ministry assured its full support to Malaysia in these endeavors.