Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad highlighted Brunei Darussalam’s commitment to cultural unity and regional development.
He also stressed on Brunei’s support for the nomination of the Kebaya as an Intangible Cultural Heritage with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a joint ASEAN effort to honour shared heritage.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi also reaffirmed Brunei’s dedication to advancing Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) through collaboration with Japan, China, and South Korea, in line with the Vang Vieng Declaration during the 11th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) Meeting and its Dialogue Partners sessions, held from October 23 to 26 in Melaka, Malaysia.
This year’s AMCA themed ‘Bridging Cultures, Building Futures: Unity in Diversity’ was chaired by Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato’ Sri Tiong King Sing.
The event gathered AMCA ministers and ASEAN representatives, including Timor-Leste, which attended as an observer, to promote culture and arts as drivers of sustainable and inclusive development across the region.
Brunei was represented in the AMCA Plus Three Interface with the ASEAN Youth and Heritage Forum by Hilmi Hamizan bin Haji Rosli and Nornaqibah binti Abdul Hamid, two youth dedicated to enhancing cultural exchange and preservation.
The AMCA sessions were preceded by the 20th Senior Officials Meeting for Culture and Arts (SOMCA) on October 22, which laid the groundwork for regional policies to support youth, the creative economy and digitalisation initiatives, in line with ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi was accompanied by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Culture) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dr Siti Norkhalbi binti Haji Wahsalfelah and ministry officials, marking a unified effort towards fostering ASEAN cultural solidarity and growth. – Fadley Faisal
