Musa: Intergovernmental tie-up to promote ‘green’ awareness
KUCHING: Intergovernmental cooperation on the green economy will promote greater awareness and drive conservation efforts in Borneo.
World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation chairman Tun Musa Hitam said the decision by Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly increase efforts to protect endangered species was an important move towards sustainable development for the region.
He said the issue was also being deliberated by more than 3,000 delegates from 77 countries attending the 13th WIEF, which ended yesterday.
“For the first time in the history of WIEF, the subject of the green economy was raised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he opened the forum on Tuesday.
“He called for stronger collaboration between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to maintain the richness and beauty of Borneo.
“It was raised again during the 12th Annual Consultation between Malaysia and Indonesia (on Wednesday),” he told reporters after the WIEF closing ceremony at the Borneo Convention Centre here.
Present was Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, who is also the co-chairman of the organising committee of this year’s forum.
During a joint press conference by Najib and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the two leaders said Malaysia and Indonesia would intensify efforts to protect endangered species, includingthe Sumatran rhino and Orang Utan.
Awang Tengah said the state government had embarked on several initiatives to preserve the forests of Sarawak.
“Sarawak has conserved 2.1 million hectares of forest as part of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative. We are in the process of increasing this to 2.5 million hectares,” he said.
Other recommendations during the forum, themed “Disruptive Challenge: Impact and Challenges”, included pursuing digital transformation to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the workforce, and the promotion of the environment for the development of “wakaf” and social finance as important components in the Islamic finance industry.
Also raised during this year’s WIEF were efforts to foster the development of a halal ecosystem, incorporating halal food, Islamic finance, halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Media Prima Bhd is the official partner of the 13th WIEF.