Representatives from five Mekong sub- region countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, gathered in Hanoi on Wednesday to attend the 2nd conference of the regional ministerial-level steering committee to promote cooperation against air pollution.

The conference, held by the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) was also attended by representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

Due to climate change, more and more natural disasters take place. Forests then play an important role in mitigating impacts of climate change. Member countries in the Mekong sub-region, including Vietnam, should further promote all-sided cooperation to protect and develop forests in response to climate change, said Ha Cong Tuan, deputy director of MARD's Forestry Department.

Over the past years, Vietnam has made progress in protecting and expanding forest coverage, increasing it to 40 percent in a bid to reduce air pollution. The country aims to raise the figure to 45 percent in the coming years, said Tuan.

Participants also talked about initiatives to reduce forest fires and control air pollution. They agreed to fulfill the set target to reduce forest fires to less than 50,000 spots by 2015 from 78,321 spots in 2011.

ASEAN Secretariat representative informed participants of the joint projects in the region with international partners, including the Global Environment Fund and EU, to promote sustainable management of wet land, reduce air pollution and protect environment.

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