KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government is continuously making efforts to ensure Sabah stands poised to spearhead transformative and sustainable initiatives, in line with the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Development Plan.
Deputy Chief Minister II, Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, said the Sabah Government has recently set up the Sabah Sustainability and Capacity Development Centre to educate the local community on Sabah’s rich biodiversity and developed the Sabah Energy Roadmap and Masterplan 2040 to address Sabah’s energy needs and resilience until 2040.
“The Sabah Government’s commitment of RM145 million to initiate sustainable development in our recent budget announcement should signal positively for the future of Sabah and our government’s direction.
“With all these resources and opportunities in Sabah, we must also make concerted efforts to manage our resources, prioritising climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
“We have set up a Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Unit under the Sabah Forestry Department to lay the groundwork to manage Sabah’s climate policies and manage carbon trading activities within Sabah.
“From a regulation standpoint, the Environment Protection Department will be implementing various activities to integrate sustainable environmental protection into their enforcement activities.
“We also have the Sabah Biodiversity Centre to look into sustainability from the management, conservation, protection, and law of Sabah biological resources,” he said while delivering a keynote address at the official launch of the Sabah Sustainability Accelerator Programme 2024 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), here today.
Dr. Joachim, who is also Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister, said Sabah is richly blessed with a unique landscape, biodiversity, unique cultures, harmony amongst its people, bountiful natural resources, the Rafflesia and tropical rainforest, the majestic Mount Kinabalu, and beautiful islands such as Sipadan Island and many more.
With such priceless resources, he said it is always in the heart of the Sabah government to protect, conserve, and maintain these priceless resources for a sustainable future for the present and future generations of Sabah.
According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Report 2023, Malaysia currently ranks 78 out of 166 countries in the Sustainable Development Goals index, with significant room for improvement in SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Life on Land.
“Sabah has significant potential to positively impact all these SDGs through sustainable revenue-generating activities like ecotourism, high-impact and credible nature-based carbon projects to support the local communities, and the generation of renewable power to support decarbonisation,” he said.
According to him, understanding sustainability is not just about knowing its technicalities but embedding it into the very fabric of businesses and daily lives.
He said sustainability is no longer a buzzword or a corporate responsibility checkbox.
“It is a strategic imperative that provides the opportunity to create long-term value for businesses. The beautiful recycled lanyards we are wearing and supporting our local Sabahan culture today are all simple examples of how we can all practice sustainability.
“More companies globally no longer look at return on investment (ROI) but rather look at return on value (ROV) and planetary health. This showcases the significance of non-monetary benefits to businesses before considering investment decisions.”
Dr. Joachim also congratulated Chemsain and MICCI on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative and led by example.
He said today’s programme serves as part of the long-term vision of the Sabah Government under its SMJ roadmap, and hence, it will continue to support such a sustainability initiative by Chemsain and MICCI.
“I would also like to congratulate all those involved in making this event a success and to everyone here for showing your commitment towards sustainable development. Sustainability, as we know, is not a solo effort; it takes commitment, effort, time, money, perseverance, and sacrifices. However, big changes do not always require big action but rather consistency,” he said, hoping to see everyone joining forces to create a better Sabah for future generations.
Also present were the Chairman of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd and also the event sponsor, Datuk Seri Madius Tangau; Chairman of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) Sabah Branch; event co-organiser, Datuk Lee Swi Heng; Director of Chemsain Group of Companies; event co-organiser, Dr. John Chan; Nazlan Mohamad, Sustainability General Manager of Sawit Kinabalu, representing Victor Ationg, Group Manager of and CEO of Sawit Kinabalu; and Johnny Samson, representing the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
