KUCHING: The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) says it will continue to play its role in the protection, management and the conservation of the state’s natural resources and environment.
NREB controller Peggy Ronin Edin said environmental issues were now becoming more complex, as such NREB’s responsibilities were also getting more diverse, complicated and challenging.
“Nevertheless, we believe the state’s clear policy guidance will facilitate our ongoing efforts and ease our engagement and collaboration with all stakeholders towards achieving sustainable development while we strive for “A Green, Clean, and Healthy Sarawak’.”
She said NREB had just completed the formulation of its Strategic Plan 2030, a road map in tandem with the Sarawak Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030.
Peggy said this during the 9th Sarawak Chief Minister’s Environmental Award (CMEA) 2019/2020 presentation ceremony here streamed live on Sarawak Public Communications Unit’s Facebook page on Monday (Sept 13).
The CMEA is co-organised by NREB and the Sarawak Business Federation (SBF), to recognise industries, local authorities, eateries and food outlets, and individuals that have shown outstanding environmental stewardship as well as advocating sustainable green initiatives in their day-to-day operations, processes and activities.
On this year’s CMEA theme ‘Enhancing Environmental Stewardship’, Peggy said it was a continuation of the seventh and eighth CMEA themes — ‘Environmental Stewardship Begins With Me’ and ‘Nurturing Environmental Stewardship’ respectively.
“These themes attempt to highlight the fact that protecting and conserving the environment are the responsibility of every person and they entail continuous meaningful and concerted efforts by all parties.
“…while the theme ‘Enhancing Environmental Stewardship’ necessitates constant improvements in people’s daily operations and practices through recycling, regeneration, restoration, and conservation.
“We hope we will all benefit socially, economically, and environmentally. Hence, fully achieving the state’s long-term Sustainable Development Goals come 2030.”
Meanwhile, SBF president Datuk Abang Karim Tun Openg, who was represented by deputy president Datuk Philip Ting Ding Ing, said SBF with its 16 component members representing major industries in the state, hoped to accelerate greater participation of the private sector in advocating Corporate Environmental Stewardship.
“We support the government’s agenda in facilitating the development of Sarawak, but at the same time we believe that it should be parallel with the promotion of strategic environment protection and conservation.”
He said that Covid-19 must not hamper environmental stewardship, and hoped that businesses would renew their commitment to care for, protect and conserve the environment and to cultivate, develop and maintain a work culture for environmental protection and pollution prevention.
