Koo Jin Shen
VIENTIANE, LAOS
BRUNEI Darussalam will soon become a member of the Coral Triangle Initiative, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said at the Second Plenary Session of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, yesterday.
The monarch said in his titah that Brunei was working closely with Malaysia and Indonesia to conserve a tropical rainforest area of up to 220,000 sq km on the island of Borneo, adding: "To complement these efforts, Brunei Darussalam will soon become a member of the Coral Triangle Initiative."
The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral partnership of six countries that was formed in 2007 to address the urgent threats facing the coastal and marine resources of one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically rich regions on earth, according to the CTI website.
In the titah, His Majesty also welcomed ASEM's new partners from Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland. He said that since the last ASEM meeting in Brussels two years ago, the global challenges facing the two regions had grown more complex and challenging.
The monarch added that ASEM continued to play a unique role in bringing Asia and Europe together to address numerous global challenges such as terrorism, natural disaster management, food security and climate change.
His Majesty emphasised that ASEM should take the lead in addressing these issues and that he was very much looking forward to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha next month.
His Majesty also highlighted Bruneian initiatives to reduce energy intensity by up to 45 per cent by 2035.
On the subject of food security, His Majesty said Brunei planned to build an Agro-Technology Park that would become a regional hi-tech centre for food research, logistics and processing. He also said Brunei was working on the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve.
At the Third Plenary Session yesterday, His Majesty announced that Brunei would be welcoming ASEM students next May to participate in a workshop entitled "Challenges to Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Ecosystems".
"The aim of the workshop is to draw different ideas and perspectives from students in dealing with environmental problems that also impact on their diverse backgrounds and cultures," His Majesty said.
In closing, His Majesty assured delegates the proposed Vientiane Declaration on Strengthening Partnership for Peace and Development would bolster friendship and solidarity between Asia and Europe.
Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times
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