Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) continues to demonstrate its commitment to nation building and promoting a sustainable future for Brunei by recognising and empowering young talents through its BIBD Sustainability Youth Leadership Awards, and on Thursday, the bank awarded four promising youth groups.
The awarding ceremony was held at the Muzakarah Hall of the International Convention Centre Berakas in the presence of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohammad as the guest of honour.
Awardees Brumi Lestari, Green Space, Purrfectly Green, and Green Pearls have presented innovative solutions to address critical environmental issues, such as food waste management and promoting sustainable living with the awards under the umbrella of SDG 12, which are broken up into four categories.
Brumi Lestari, under the ‘Responsible Production’ category winner, aims to provide a comprehensive food waste reporting service focusing on pre-consumer production. The service includes data collection using a smart scale and app through IoT (Internet of Things), and analysis of waste-causing practices through observation, which will provide reporting to the businesses and help identify areas where they can reduce supply waste.
Green Space is named the winner in the ‘Sustainable Lifestyle’ category, aiming to help people understand and apply the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on responsible consumption and sustainable living.
The team aims to use social media platforms to educate people about best practices and habits that can support sustainable living.
‘Waste Management’ category winner, Purrfectly Green, aims to transform food waste into pet food, adopting health and halal standards that would fit a certain segment who are conscious of the source of food for their pets.
Green Pearls, a winner under the ‘Food Waste’ category, aims to improve the management of food waste in Brunei and with pilot projects addressing community areas such as resettlement villages, they aim to reach out to community leaders and bring awareness of waste segregation that can be processed to become compost for farming.
Each winning teams were awarded BND3,000 and will be working with their respective strategic partners from both the government and private sectors for the next 9 months to develop their ideas and empower them to expand the ideas into proof of concepts and further support for potential commercialisation.
The BIBD Sustainability Youth Leadership Awards was launched last year to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of Brunei’s youth towards creating a sustainable future where the Awards serve as a catalyst for innovation and empower the next generation to address environmental, social, and economic challenges.
This award aligns seamlessly with the bank’s Sustainability Framework by prioritising environmental protection and social impact, two core pillars of the framework, and at the same time, this initiative also contributes to responsible entrepreneurship by nurturing young business leaders and fostering innovation.
Also, by empowering youth and addressing pressing environmental challenges, the awards directly support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to responsible consumption and production that have a direct impact on other goals like climate action, sustainable cities and communities, and reduced inequalities.
Meanwhile, in the broader context, this initiative is a tangible step towards realising Brunei Vision 2035 by cultivating a skilled and entrepreneurial youth population that is actively involved in building a sustainable nation, answering 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’s call during the 19th National Youth Day celebrations on Wednesday.
BIBD had the honor of showcasing the winners of the 2nd BIBD Sustainability Youth Leadership Awards initiative to His Majesty where the platform allowed BIBD to highlight the potential of Brunei’s youth and the positive impact they can create.
“Today’s announcement of the Sustainability Youth Leadership Award winners marks a significant milestone in our collaboration with the Brunei Darussalam National Council on Climate Change (BNCCC),” said BIBD’s Chief Marketing Officer, Hajah Nurul Akmar Haji Md Jaafar who is also Lead of the BIBD Sustainability Transformation Group.
This initiative, she added, is a direct response to their shared commitment, as outlined in their Memorandum of Understanding, to foster innovative solutions for a sustainable future.
“By empowering young minds and providing them with the resources to address environmental challenges, we are not only investing in our nation’s youth but also taking concrete steps towards Brunei’s low-carbon aspirations. We believe that these young leaders will be instrumental in driving the positive change necessary to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable and resilient nation,” said Hajah Nurul Akmar.
The ‘BIBD Sustainability Youth Leadership Awards’ is a collaborative effort involving the SDG Unit of Wawasan Office under the Prime Minister’s Office, the Youth Department of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Green Brunei, and the Brunei Youth Council.
The strong public private partnership underscores the bank’s commitment as Partner in Progress to working closely with government agencies and other stakeholders to create a supportive ecosystem for youth development and sustainability adaptation and adoption.
BIBD, through initiatives like the Sustainability Youth Leadership Awards, is proud to play a pivotal role in inspiring and empowering Brunei’s youth to become agents of change and contribute to a greener, more sustainable nation. – LYNA MOHAMMAD
