JCIM targets 10 projects from Sabah for award nomination

KOTA KINABALU: The Junior Chamber International Malaysia (JCIM) is looking for at least 10 Sabah projects to be included in its 2018 Sustainable Development Award (SDA) before June 30.

JCIM national executive vice president Alvis Loo said there was only one Sabah participant, Sabah Women Entrepreneur and Professionals Association (Swepa), last year.

The state’s sole participant took the gold in the seventh SDA 2017 category, affordable and clean energy, for its Barefoot Solar Project 1.0 and 2.0 in Kota Marudu.

“Of course, we would like to do it (promotion of SDA in Sabah) earlier but because of the election period as well, we have to do it only now. It is not too late because we (have) already started doing the promotion before this press conference,” said Loo during the 2018 JCIM SDA press conference at Wisma Far East here, yesterday.

“We also have a very good role model with Swepa being winner (for 2017). More Sabahans will know (about SDA). It (SDA) is not limited to companies, Sdn Bhd but also to NGOs and associations,” he added.

“They (organizer) will target to have 10 organizations or companies from Sabah to be nominated for this award. Hopefully we can achieve this goal or more than that. We wish this can be carried on, going more stronger and stronger and more winners from Sabah this year,” he added.

This year’s JCIM SDA organizing chairperson Mikasa Chong said more than 40 submissions had been received and the target for 2018 would be 100 from throughout Malaysia.

She added that none of the applications that had been received by the organizers were for the gender equality category and no applications had officially been received from Sabah.

Amongst the terms and conditions of the award entry are projects to be related to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), set by the United Nations in 2015, and are done as part of a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative or an organization’s main focus.