BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative will be reviewed to re-affirm member countries’ commitment to developing practical environment programmes, seven years after its establishment.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of Industry and Primary Resources Hjh Hasnah Hj Ibrahim said the review would enable members to create conducive conditions required to realise inclusive and balanced development in the designated HoB area.

During the opening of the four-day Heart of Borneo (HoB) Corridor Initiative (HoBCI) Workshop, she said the programmes would be based on the five pillars of the HoB strategic plan.

The HoB initiative is a long-term initiative towards conserving and protecting tropical rainforests on Borneo island, covering an area of about 220,000 km-sq between Brunei, Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak) and Indonesia (Kalimantan).

The deputy permanent secretary said Brunei is committed to enhancing further collaboration and working hand-in-hand with potential partners to expedite the achievement of common goals.

Hjh Hasnah shared that the review would be done by WWF International and facilitated by ASEAN Development Bank and German Agency for International Cooperation.

As part of the study requirements, the experts would be going to each member state to collect relevant information for analysis and recommendations.

The review will include the progress of the trilateral HoB Strategic Plan of Action and its five work programmes at the national/subnational level and the trilateral level, as well as the governance frameworks operating within the HoB at the national/sub-national level and the trilateral level.

It is also expected to review the partner organisation and stakeholders contributing to HoB goals.

The workshop saw the presence of representatives from HoB member countries, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), government agencies as well as university students.

It aimed to produce proposals for HoB countries to demonstrate their commitment in working together in areas related to transboundary protected area management, eco-tourism and capacity building through the corridor initiative.

The Brunei Times