Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof highlighted the Sultanate’s effort in advancing energy transition agenda, affirming its support to the ongoing collaboration and welcoming the continued advancement in the global hydrogen industry.
He highlighted this during the Ministers’ Discussion on ‘Advancing Energy Transitions across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Region’ and ‘Policies and Actions for Hydrogen Development in APEC Economies to Promote Sustainable Growth’ at the 14th APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (APEC EMM) at the Lima Convention Centre in Peru on Thursday and Friday.
In addition, Brunei Darussalam addressed concerns on climate change as well as identified opportunities in realising the country’s aspirations towards net zero by 2050. On the sidelines of the meeting, the minister joined a networking session with other heads of delegations from APEC economies, including Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Yusof, who is also the Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, and Peru’s Minister of Energy and Mines Rómulo Mucho Mamani. Themed ‘Empower. Include. Grow’, this year’s APEC EMM prioritised sustainable growth for resilient development, through which APEC continues to progress in energy transition towards more decarbonised economic activities.
The meeting was presided by the host Peru as the APEC 2024 Chairman, chaired by Rómulo Mucho Mamani.
The main topics of discussion included advancing energy transitions across the APEC region, the importance of energy access in promoting sustainable growth, and policies and actions for hydrogen development in APEC economies to promote sustainable growth.
The meeting endorsed two key documents – the ‘Lima Statement’ and ‘APEC Policy Guidance to develop and implement Low-Carbon Hydrogen Policy frameworks in the Asia-Pacific’. The Lima Statement reaffirms APEC economies’ commitment to enhance collaboration in support of low-carbon economies and energy transition.
The overarching objective of the policy guidance, on the other hand, is to support the commitment to adopt renewable energy and other environmentally sound technologies, as part of sustainable energy transitions.
It also intended to be a living document that will advise APEC working groups on potential areas of cooperation to further promote the coherent development of a clean and low-carbon hydrogen ecosystem in the region. The minister was accompanied at the 14th APEC EMM by Brunei Ambassador to the United States Dato Paduka Haji Serbini bin Haji Ali and representatives from the Department of Energy at the PMO.
The next APEC EMM will be held in South Korea next year.
APEC is a regional forum established in 1989 to promote sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region through greater economic integration, technical cooperation, and free and open trade and investment. Energy cooperation is a key element of APEC’s multilateral agenda.
Together, the economies of APEC make up more than 60 per cent of the world’s energy consumption and gross domestic product and nearly half of all trade. – James Kon
