Lee (front row, centre) , representing Adenan, posing with the organizing committee and participants of the GlobCom 2015 Symposium.
MIRI: The long-term commitment by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to conserve and manage the contiguous tropical forests remaining in Borneo and the incredible biodiversity within, must be unwavering to be preserved as a legacy for generations to come.
Acknowledging that pledge, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said a large portion of Borneo’s primary forests has gone to logging and farming and hence, the need for sustainable use of the state’s natural resources.
Adenan, in his prepared speech for the Global Communications Project (GlobCom 2015) Symposium on the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative delivered by Assistant Minister of Communications Datuk Lee Kim Shin, said: “It serves as a positive catalyst to encourage the wise and careful use of Borneo’s natural resources and brings together agencies, non-governmental organizations, institutions and others to develop and implement plans on how to manage the region’s remaining forest sustainably for the benefit of all Bornean people, now and in the future.”
For Sarawak, the Heart of Borneo programme has five pillars which include the conservation of biological diversity; sustainable forest management; eco-tourism based on culture, adventure and nature; community-based rural poverty eradication; and sustainable agriculture and land use.
“These areas are among my administration’s top priorities and we are always looking for ways and means to develop, strengthen and promote our conservation, eco-tourism and sustainable development efforts,” Adenan said.
The chief minister said sustainable development has taken on greater urgency all over the world. Indeed, it is a process of change that is drastically transforming governments, industries and communities.
Pointing out that sustainable development is now as much as an economic necessity as it is an environmental and social necessity, Adenan said: “Whether we are in government sector, education, profession, industry or NGOs, we all have a role to play in supporting sustainable development. We need to come up with appropriate approaches to ensure that the needs of the present generation continue to be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.”
Adenan believed and was confident that through events likes GlobCom, all at large can develop innovative strategies to get the right message across to those that matter.
The symposium from June 4-6 saw students from 15 universities in 15 countries across five continents attending the Miri convention.
Present at the launch were pro vice-chancellor Professor Jim Mienczakowski who is chief executive of Curtin Sarawak, president of Global Communication Institute and GlobCom co-founder Dr Volker Stoltz, senior lecturer of Curtin Business School and Curtin University Liaison Dr Katharina Wolf and organizing chairperson Dr Kamala Vainy Kanapathi Pillai.