Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) highlighted local youth-led organisations who are taking action on climate change at the recent National Youth Day celebrations held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.
BIBD’s Chief Marketing Officer and Chair of the Sustainability Transformation Group Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Jaafar said, “As a partner in progress for a sustainable future, the bank regularly works with government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) whose goals and values align closely with ours.
“We are proud to support local, youth-led NGOs who are doing so much at the grassroots level to engage with the public and raise awareness, taking decisive action in the fight against climate change.”
She added, “Our hope when we launched BIBD’s Sustainability Framework and Roadmap is that we would lead the way among Bruneian corporates and society in order to show the importance of adopting sustainability principles into our everyday lives as we work together to ensure a better future for our younger generation.
“Recently, we became the first private organisation to partner with the government in the Race to Zero, through our memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Brunei Darussalam National Council on Climate Change. It is an honour to be able to use our platform to highlight the important work that is being done by our strategic partners.”
Green Brunei, a youth-led platform to promote environmental sustainability through education, conservation and advocacy, also showcased their tree-planting activities as part of its commitment to mitigate the effects of deforestation.
According to Green Brunei, mature trees are able to absorb up to 22 kilogrammes of CO2 – with up to one metric tonne of CO2 absorbed over a 40-year period.
Under BIBD’s Sustainability Framework and Roadmap, and in support of the Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy’s Green Protocol, BIBD has pledged to plant 2,000 trees by the end of the year.
Together with Green Brunei and Community for Brunei, BIBD has already organised two separate tree planting activities this year as part of a series of carbon capture intiatives.
The tree planting initiative is expected to be complemented by the Donate Trees for Climate Change campaign, in which members of the public will be invited to donate trees through various digital channels such as the BIBD NEXGEN Wallet, the Community for Brunei platform as well as ProgresifPAY, among others.
Also participating in the National Youth Day celebrations were BIBD’s partner, Reef Check Brunei, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of ocean reef ecosystem in Brunei Darussalam.
The organisation showcased the important role that coral reefs play in providing an ecosystem for life underwater. The group has been actively carrying out a coral restoration project off the Brunei coast in addition to education, research and conservation awareness activities.
According to Reef Check Brunei, corals support 25 per cent of ocean life, encouraging plant life and reducing the impact of storms.
Coral reefs also support research on medicinal cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.
My Actions for SDGs, a local non-governmental organisation which carries out awareness and community engagement activities on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Brunei, also highlighted their efforts in educating, empowering and engaging the public.
BIBD’s Sustainability Framework and Roadmap is closely aligned to the Maqasid Syariah as well as national goals such as Brunei Vision 2035 and the United Nations SGDs under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
My Actions for SDGs complements the bank’s efforts in promoting action and intiatives towards achieving the UN SDGs.
Meanwhile, the Community for Brunei’s Sustainable Nation Campaign is a whole-of-nation campaign to create small but impactful actions to fight the climate change crisis and move towards a circular economy.
The campaign also aims to encourage the wider community to become eco-allies, and create awareness about sustainable practices. As BIBD’s corporate social responsibility initiative, Community for Brunei is committed to carrying out initiatives that support BIBD’s sustainability goals by working with campaign partners and fostering collaboration within the industy to inspire positive action.
The Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS) during the National Youth Day celebrations also highlighted initiatives and efforts undertaken towards impelmenting and monitoring Brunei Darussalam’s climate change policies, strategies and actions.
BIBD recently collaborated with the BCCS to hold the Eco Festival during the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2022 (Brunei MYCE 2022).
