Time to speed up HoB Initiative: Asean report
Friday, June 22, 2007
BRUNEI should jumpstart the tri-national Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative, suggests the Asean Peer Consultation Framework (PCF) in Forestry Report for Brunei Darussalam.
The joint effort to preserve tropical rainforests across Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia is a "giant leap for the promotion of sustainable forestry management in the region," says the report.
Brunei might consider playing a "catalytic" role in activating the Initiative in the transboundary dialogue by offering to host the HoB Secretariat.
The HoB Initiative is also hoped to address illegal logging, one of the main transboundary problems in the area.
The PCF Report states the sultanate's readiness to host implementation of the HoB Initiative will not be fully realised unless all the countries involved immediately establish regular consultative forums.
The report also says that "donor agencies could send advisers to the secretariat on a co-financing basis, provided the HoB Initiative could be established as a sub-regional enterprise".
To give it a regional flair, the HoB Initiative could be standardised as a sub-regional initiative under the Asean cooperation in forestry which is incidentally within the sphere of the Asean Senior Officials on Forestry.
Subsequently this means the initiative would be ensured a steady place on the agenda of these forums. Hence Brunei will regularly consult all the relevant forestry stakeholders.
Another recommendation states that the HoB could be made to be more private-sector oriented by placing it under the Bimp-Eaga.
The report says that since it is already under the Bimp-Eaga, the HoB Initiative can develop and promote eco-tourism within the overall business-oriented emphasis of the association.
The HoB could be projected to the highest level of national commitment since the leaders now meet on a regular basis on the sidelines of the annual Asean Summit.
Further economic consideration for Brunei Darussalam aims to increase forestry contributions to the country's GDP.
The utilisation of the sultanate's limited forest resources without damaging the natural environment also includes the establishment of high value plantations and development of furniture industries.
Although the population of Brunei is not dependent on the forestry sector for their livelihood, the sector will continue to provide the benefits to the nation in the post-oil era.
The strategies for these will be based on the mechanism or incentives which are readily available in the global market. The two-day plenary meeting ended yesterday at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
The Brunei Times
The joint effort to preserve tropical rainforests across Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia is a "giant leap for the promotion of sustainable forestry management in the region," says the report.
Brunei might consider playing a "catalytic" role in activating the Initiative in the transboundary dialogue by offering to host the HoB Secretariat.
The HoB Initiative is also hoped to address illegal logging, one of the main transboundary problems in the area.
The PCF Report states the sultanate's readiness to host implementation of the HoB Initiative will not be fully realised unless all the countries involved immediately establish regular consultative forums.
The report also says that "donor agencies could send advisers to the secretariat on a co-financing basis, provided the HoB Initiative could be established as a sub-regional enterprise".
To give it a regional flair, the HoB Initiative could be standardised as a sub-regional initiative under the Asean cooperation in forestry which is incidentally within the sphere of the Asean Senior Officials on Forestry.
Subsequently this means the initiative would be ensured a steady place on the agenda of these forums. Hence Brunei will regularly consult all the relevant forestry stakeholders.
Another recommendation states that the HoB could be made to be more private-sector oriented by placing it under the Bimp-Eaga.
The report says that since it is already under the Bimp-Eaga, the HoB Initiative can develop and promote eco-tourism within the overall business-oriented emphasis of the association.
The HoB could be projected to the highest level of national commitment since the leaders now meet on a regular basis on the sidelines of the annual Asean Summit.
Further economic consideration for Brunei Darussalam aims to increase forestry contributions to the country's GDP.
The utilisation of the sultanate's limited forest resources without damaging the natural environment also includes the establishment of high value plantations and development of furniture industries.
Although the population of Brunei is not dependent on the forestry sector for their livelihood, the sector will continue to provide the benefits to the nation in the post-oil era.
The strategies for these will be based on the mechanism or incentives which are readily available in the global market. The two-day plenary meeting ended yesterday at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
The Brunei Times
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