The Honourable Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (R) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II, is currently in Vientiane, Lao’s People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), attending the 42nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting and Its Associated Meetings (42nd AMEM) taking place at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 26 – 27 September 2024. His Honourable as the Minister in charge of Energy is accompanied by His Excellency Haji Roslan bin Haji Yacub, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Yang Mulia Hajah Farida binti Dato Seri Paduka Haji Talib, Permanent Secretary (Energy) as Brunei Darussalam’s Senior Official for Energy (SOE) Leader, and officials from the Department of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The meeting is presided by the host Lao PDR as 42nd AMEM Chairman and the Honourable Phosay Sayasone, Lao PDR’s Minister of Energy and Mines officiated the Joint Opening Ceremony for the 42nd AMEM and the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) 2024 together with Yang Amat Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, Deputy Prime Minister and also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), Malaysia as the incoming chair of AMEM. Dialogue with the Deputy Heads of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was conducted in conjunction with the 42nd AMEM. The Meeting also welcomed the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor-Leste as Observer.
With the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience“, this year’s 42nd AMEM underscores the importance of AMEM as a platform to ensure ASEAN collective efforts in strengthening the ASEAN Community to seize opportunities and address present and emerging challenges effectively and ensuring the implementation of ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), which has been instrumental in driving energy security, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability in ASEAN. The Meeting highlighted the ongoing progress in developing the APAEC Post-2025 referring to the AEC Strategic Plan 2026-2030, emphasizing the importance of creating a sectoral plan to address the region’s evolving energy challenges and the global megatrends. The Meeting acknowledged the importance of consultations with stakeholders, including with the ASEAN Member States (AMS), Dialogue Partners (DPs), and International Organisations (Ios), in ensuring that APAEC Post-2025 reflects diverse perspectives and priorities. The Meeting therefore endorsed the theme of the APAEC 2026-2030: Advancing Regional Cooperation in Ensuring Energy Security and Accelerating Decarbonisation for a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition.
On the sidelines of the meeting, His Honourable also had the opportunity to have a networking session with the other heads of delegation from ASEAN Member States, including the chairman of 42nd AMEM, the Honourable Phosay Sayasone, Lao PDR’s Minister of Energy and Mines and the Honourable Francisco Da Costa Monteiro, Timor Leste’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.
The Ministerial Meeting will adopt the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 42nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting and the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 21st ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meetings + 3 (21st AMEM+3). Apart from the 42nd AMEM, during the two-days meeting, Lao PDR will also be chairing a number of associated Ministerial Meetings including the 42nd AMEM Dialogue with International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); the 21st ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting +3 (21st AMEM+3); and the 18th East Asia Summit Energy Ministerial Meeting (18th EAS EMM).The Meeting will convene the 43rd AMEM in 2025 in Malaysia.
