Commenting on the many reports of recent forest fire disasters around the world, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and those directly involved in fire-fighting operations must strengthen their cooperation, in order to be better prepared and jointly respond to these growing emergencies. Toepfer, was speaking before the start of the 5th Association of South East Asean Nations (ASEAN) Ministers Meeting on Haze, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next week.