Speech by Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Y.B. Dato Sri Douglas Uggah Embas
at
The Official Opening of Best of Both Worlds Conference 2010:
“Effective Environmental Education for Biodiversity Conservation”
Hilton Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak 8 November 2010 at 9 am Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Dr. Abdul Latif Mohmod,
Director General, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Yang Berusaha Mr Wilfred Landong,
General Manager, Sarawak Forestry Corporation Members of the Media,
The honourable keynote speakers,
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen, A very good morning and Salam 1 Malaysia.
First of all, I would like to convey sincere thanks from YB Dato Sri Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment to the organisers for the invitation to officially launch the conference this morning. The Honourable Minister is unable to be with us today due to unavoidable circumstances and extends his apology to the organisers. Please allow me to deliver the Honourable Minister’s speech and officiate this launch on his behalf.
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2. I am very pleased and delighted to be among the excellent and distinguished participants and invited guest who are here today for the annual Best of Both Worlds Conference, jointly held as part of the programme under the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and the University of South Africa (UNISA). I believe, my presence here allow for my ministry to reiterate and show its commitment and believe in the issue of environment in Malaysia. But most of all, allow me to welcome our keynote speakers, foreign participants and everyone to the beautiful and serene city of Kuching, Sarawak.
3. Since 1998, series of Best of Both Worlds conference have been alternately held between Malaysia and South Africa to further enhance our cooperation, collaboration, understanding and effort in empowering the importance and critical role of environmental education for the younger generations of both countries. The gathering of experts, government officials, students and environmental related parties are indeed refreshing and brilliant as I believe our effort in environmental sustainability and its related issues should be tackled and conducted holistically.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen;
4. Green and environmental issues have largely become the world’s biggest concern, from the Rio World Summit to various environments related Protocol, to Copenhagen Accord and the upcoming meeting of climate change scheduled in Cancun, Mexico.
Progresses have been slow, unconvincing and literally stunted.
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Economic and financial crisis overtook the concern and focus on environmental matters and climate change has taken a back seat. I am not trying to be a pessimist nor an oracle of negativity, but I need you, the participants, the community and the people who can make differences, to know the real situation and anticipate how you can further contribute toward helping our environment.
5. I have just come back from attending the 10th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, where various issues related to biodiversity, conservation efforts and policies are discussed and deliberated at length by thousands of representatives from all over the world. It was a complex and arduous work, albeit a necessary one, to argue, resolve and to understand the concerns and challenges faced by the world community in supporting the biodiversity conservation and its sustainable utilisation. My ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, has been spearheading policy and action-oriented works to tackle multiple issues related to environment and biodiversity in Malaysia. Although we have many success stories that we are very proud to share, we too have our fair share of challenges and difficulties that are not only unique, but at times, disheartening, as the degradation and unsustainable activities are being done by none other but ourselves.
6. In the upcoming weeks, I shall also attend the 16th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which will be held in Cancun, Mexico. If the previous
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meeting that was held in Copenhagen can be use as indication, this meeting shall also be a very complicated and difficult meeting in looking for a convergence of views and commitment among the developed and the developing countries in mitigating and adapting to the climate change.
7. In coming out with all inclusive but differentiated responsibility, each nations and its leader have to be truthful, unbiased and not indulge is self interest or disserving action. Developing countries, like Malaysia, should not be blamed or be handicapped from achieving its goal of development, through lopsided commitment and agreement.
Developed countries, should focus on the real issue, not just using economic and bureaucracy constraint as an excuse to fail in its targeted and agreed commitment. Malaysia has pledged a voluntary 40% reduction of carbon emission intensity by the year 2020 based on 2005 level during the meeting in Copenhagen, which I am proud to mention, are on track and achievable. I really wish, through a gathering such as this, we can share and discuss various other efforts, works and activities that we, as a community and citizen, can act upon to tackle this biggest challenge of our time.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen;
8. We have also heard various success stories from our counterparts in South Africa, of how you have put in place various actions and policy to help protect and conserve the God given beauties of your natural wildlife, the lush and beautiful safaris and
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national parks. Although we may be different in terms of biodiversities, ecosystems or climate, I trust that it is how we guide and instill the environmental understanding and the love for nature to our younger generations and the community that matters most. They are, in the end, the true custodian of these gifts and should enjoy what the nature provides, as we all have for all these year. Thus, it is utmost critical that our task and mission of sustainability is ever more important than before.
9. Through various ingenious and creative ways and means, we can mitigate and ease the burden of ruthless cycle of degradation and environmental devastation. Indeed, the government has consistently affirmed its commitment through various pledges and action, not only from my Ministry, but from the Prime Minister himself! Through creation of various components and agencies under the government, plus the financial allocation under the 9th to the 10th Malaysia Plan, we have embarked on critical projects and initiatives, but sometimes, in a simplest way to contribute towards environment, such as tree planting and environmental education.
10. I am proud to note that FRIM with the collaboration and effort of the UNISA, has begun and developed a proper environmental education initiative through experiences and works which was put in place to the cooperation between the two institutional and supported by other related parties. It is my pleasure to learn that a certification programme called Certificate in Environmental Education (CEE) is being developed and will be implemented in 2011. In a young
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developing nation of Malaysia, the CEE course is envisaged to “fill in the gap” in Malaysia’s training needs especially for pre-service and in- service teachers and environmental practitioners seeking to understand environmental education and its applications in a broad manner.
11. The CEE programme is a collaborative work between the University of South Africa (UNISA), FRIM and EDUTREE, an NGO. The certificate will be awarded by UNISA at the end of a one-year course with the practical workshop component conducted by FRIM and EDUTREE.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen;
12. As you may have heard, I am a native of this state, Sarawak. I love everything about these beautiful and intriguing states and as a boy, I wandered and cherished the gift of nature that have abundantly provide all that our community need. I am sure, almost all of the Sarawakian here today, have an identical story and can easily relate to my experience and the childhood memories. When I was tasked to be the minister in charge of environment and Malaysia’s natural resources, it was like my journey has come to a full circle. I truly and honestly believe, this is my biggest challenge and my chance to make a different. Thus, in every duty and responsible that was bequeath to the agencies and department in my ministry, I personally keeping a very close tab and share the urgency and responsibility as each and every one of them.
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13. But, as I have highlighted earlier, the country need a total public awareness on environmental sustainability and education at all levels of society and the government cannot and will never achieve this on its own. Synergetic effort, public-private cooperation and integral role of the civil society, the non-governmental organization (NGO) are simply vital and decisive for the attainment of our goals.
Distinguished Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen;
14. I have full confidence that this conference, through the gathering of brilliant minds and experts, young generations and civil society, will provide opportunities and a platform to develop and share environmental issues and education through critical and open discussion. I truly hope that you will have a constructive deliberation and presentation of fresh ideas or proposals. Before I end my speech, may I also invite you to spend a little more time to enjoy the beautiful and exotic natural surrounding that Sarawak has to offer.
With that, it is my pleasure to officially declare open the Best of Both Worlds Conference 2010.
Thank you.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 8 November 2010