Indonesian Environment Minister Balthazar Kambuaya opened here on Wednesday the annual high- profile regional meeting attended by senior officials from ASEAN members and partners assigned to deal with environmental issues.

The 24th ASEON (ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment) meeting was the continuation of the one held in Siem Reap of Cambodia last year and will run until Aug. 30. Senior officials from 10 ASEAN members plus their counterparts from partner countries including China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Russia as well as those from the Eurpean Union will discuss in several sessions environmental protection efforts in the region.

"Indonesia supports the acceleration of ASEAN Socio Cultural Score Card focused on environmental elements aimed at preserving environment conservancy and its sustainability," Balthazar Kambuaya said.

The 24th ASEON meeting was designated to bring about several measures intended to create clean and green environment in Southeast Asia region. Among the measures to be discussed by delegates were providing strategic guidelines, monitoring and reviewing the implementation of ASEAN Socio Cultural Community ( ASCC) Blueprint to secure environment sustainability and coordinating inter-sectoral efforts under the ASEAN Charter (ASCC, ASEAN Economic Community and Political Security Community) to address environment issues.

ASOEN was initially established to improve environmental protection in Southeast Asia through the efforts in conserving soil, forest, biodiversity, energy and improving water and air quality in the region.

The ASEON supports ASEAN's active participation in the efforts to address challenges faced by global community such as climate changing, ozone layer protection and adoption of environmental- friendly technology for the need of development, said the minister.

The ASEON meeting is also designed to make preparation for ASEAN environmental ministers in their regional meeting called ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME), held once every three years. Indonesia's city of Surabaya is scheduled to hold AMME in September this year.