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Borneo Bulletin, Monday July 15, 2019
Page 16
Royal Birthday
Sustainable development: Key
pillar for socio-economic progress
| Aziz Idris |
THE Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal
Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum
Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi
Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei
Darussalam has always emphasised the idea that
sustainable development is central to the nation’s
socio-economic development.
Under HisMajesty’s leadership, Brunei hasmanaged
to preserve its lush rainforests, a vast ecosystem that
is home to some of the most diverse species of flora
and fauna in the world.
It was reported that the Sultanate’s tropical
rainforest is estimated to be about 75 per cent of
the country’s total land area, with 41 per cent being
terrestrial protected area.
In his titah at the United Nations (UN) Climate
Change Summit in New York, His Majesty iterated that
Brunei is committed to combating climate change
and promoting sustainable development, including
cutting down energy consumption by 63 per cent by
2035 and lowering demand for fossil fuels.
Government bodies, corporations and NGOs
have collaborated to ensure that protection efforts
for the environment, which include aspects such
as rainforests, oceans, food, wildlife, air, water and
climate, are carried out fairly and efficiently.
One of the government agencies, the Department
of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe),
is responsible for environmental protection. The
department had issued environmental acts and
guidelines, pollution control guidelines for industry,
and published the Recycle 123 Handbook as a guide
on recycling for the general public.
To help conserve and protect the ecosystem of
Brunei Darussalam, the government is also working
together with businesses and non-profits by carrying
out several environment-related initiatives, including
the provision of recycling services; conducting
in the energy sector, which relies heavily on oil and
gas as the backbone of the country’s economy”.
He noted that sustainable development is holistic
and allows for the integration of economy, society
and natural resources as Brunei advances towards
Vision 2035.
“Existing policies to realise Vision 2035 are aimed
towards producing educated, highly skilled and
accomplished people; increasing the quality of life;
and realising a dynamic and sustainable economy,”
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaimi said.
The minister emphasised that sustainable
development is concerned with meeting existing
individual needs from naturally accessible reserves
while preserving and enhancing the quality of the
surrounding environment.
“As we work towards developing our country, it is
important to adopt a sustainable approach, which
places equal emphasis on the economic, social
and environmental aspects. Neglecting either of
these aspects and the desired outcome will not be
achieved,” he added.
At present, Brunei Darussalam is still in a phase
where it has to consolidate its achievements and
maintain them in order to cope with the challenges
posed by multiple crises, such as climate change and
volatility in food and energy prices.
The United Nations Human Rights
Report in April 2014 observed a steady
progress in Brunei’s achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals,
with almost all of the targets reached,
including in environmental sustainability
– moving the country one step closer
towards achieving its Vision 2035
aspirations
environmental awareness programmes and activities
such as ‘No Plastic Bag Weekend’ every Friday until
Sunday, a car-free Sunday event during ‘
Bandarku
Ceria
’, Earth Hour events, and reducing Styrofoam
use; as well as the establishment of environmental
clubs.
Other players in the country’s environmental efforts
include Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd
(BSP) and the inter-agency National Committee on
Environment (NCE), the latter established to pursue
the overall goal of environmental protection and
service to ensure a more comprehensive approach to
environmental management, through consultations
with stakeholders and the formulation of appropriate
policies.
The
United Nations Human Rights Report
in
April 2014 observed a steady progress in Brunei’s
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG), with almost all of the targets reached,
including in environmental sustainability – moving
the country one step closer towards achieving its
Brunei Vision 2035 aspirations.
Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang
Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar in a speech during
the opening of the seventh Brunei International
Conference on Engineering and Technology (BICET)
2018 at Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) highlighted
that Brunei “seeks sustainable development, not only