BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA

THE existing cooperation for the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative is open to all potential partners interested in the work to preserve biodiversity of the region’s rainforests, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said in a titah yesterday.

During the second session of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, His Majesty said the HoB initiative contributes to addressing climate change.

In his titah or royal speech, His Majesty said Brunei is working closely with Indonesia and Malaysia on the initiative. Brunei has allocated for forest conservation 58 per cent of its land area that is part of the Heart aof Borneo.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that His Majesty in his second and final titah at the summit emphasised on matters related to cooperation in non-traditional security issues, with the main emphasis on the discussion of climate change and disaster management.

Climate change and its negative effects on people and their livelihood is a concern recognised by ASEAN, he said.

There is a need to strengthen cooperation across different sectors to address global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, food security, energy security and communicable diseases.

Last month, ASEAN reaffirmed its commitment to address climate change. The regional grouping said it hoped for the support of all its partners in this very important endeavor.

Furthermore, at the United Nations Climate Summit this year, there was global recognition for the need to collectively address climate change, His Majesty said.

In their joint statement, leaders of ASEAN and Korea highlighted issues of climate change and disaster management.

Under the joint statement for socio-cultural cooperation for shared progress, ASEAN-korea will enhance cooperation in responding to climate change, including seeking ways to cooperate with the Global Green Growth Institute and Green Climate Fund (GCF), and sharing ideas and promoting capacity development on climate change.

His Majesty expressed his appreciation to President Park following her announcement to pledge an additional US$100 million to the Green Climate Change Fund. His Majesty added that ASEAN values Korea’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change through initiatives such as forest conservation.

East Asia is a region that is most affected by natural disasters. In this regard, His Majesty the Sultan hoped that the region will be able to deepen its cooperation and come up with concrete measures that will carry on the work to help each other in the future and bring deeper meaning to the lives of its people.

The region has to deal with flooding, typhoons, and landslides, and it also has to contend with strong earthquakes, volcanic activity and tsunamis.

Fortunately, the region’s geographical proximity enables it to react quickly in the face of such natural calamities to provide much needed humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the its neighbours, His Majesty said.

Under the joint statement for socio-cultural cooperation for shared progress, there will be strengthened cooperation in disaster management to mitigate the impacts of disaster, reducing disaster losses and enhancing joint emergency response to disasters.

The Brunei Times