Enviro News Asia, Medan – The Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) has taken a strategic lead in strengthening climate resilience at the regional level, reaffirming that commitment at the opening of the 6th Meeting of the Working Group on Environment of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) in Medan, North Sumatra, on Thursday (6/18). The forum served as a key moment for the three countries to collaborate on cross-border environmental challenges, from waste management to the adoption of green technology.
KLH Secretary/BPLH Chief Secretary Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, as host, stressed that the current climate crisis cannot be resolved by any single country acting alone.
“IMT-GT has become an important platform for strengthening regional cooperation, not only in economic development but also in environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Environmental challenges now transcend national borders, requiring stronger coordination and collective action,” Rosa Vivien said in her welcoming address.
Indonesia brought three priority agendas to the meeting: regional synergy, aligning local cooperation with ASEAN and global environmental targets; concrete action, implementing tangible projects in waste management, nature conservation, and marine protection; and broader collaboration, engaging regional governments, the private sector, academia, and youth.
KLH/BPLH Expert Staff to the Minister for Food Resources, Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Quality Laksmi Widyajayanti welcomed the adoption of the forum’s annotated agenda, describing it as an important foundation for ensuring that all discussions produce tactical decisions ready for implementation on the ground.
As a show of concrete action, this year’s meeting showcased green innovation projects from each country. Thailand plans to hold an offshore oil spill response training, Malaysia introduced a battery passport tracking system for electric vehicle recycling, while Indonesia presented an integrated waste management facility at PT Sumatera Deli Lestari Indah as a model of environmentally responsible industry.
Appreciation for Indonesia’s leadership was expressed by the Chairman of the IMT-GT Working Group on Environment from Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, P. Jeevananth A/L Paliah.
“We appreciate Indonesia’s willingness to host this meeting. We hope it produces tangible inputs that each member country can follow up on,” Paliah said.
In closing, Rosa invited all delegates to strengthen their shared commitment to protecting the sub-regional environment. “Let us make this meeting a momentum to reaffirm our collective commitment, not only as member countries, but as one community bound by geography, history, and a shared future,” she said. Through cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the ASEAN Secretariat, KLH/BPLH has committed to translating these agreements into concrete green projects with a direct impact on communities across the region. (*)
