KUCHING: Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming has praised the Sarawak government in its hydrogen economy effort.
He said Sarawak’s big move into Green Hydrogen Economy is a game changer to the state and exemplary to Malaysia.
“This will move the nation’s green ambition forward and contribute to the country’s nett zero emission target by 2050,” he said.
He said this at the opening ceremony of the 5th Malaysia Urban Forum (MUF) 2023 held at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre here on Tuesday (Nov 7).
Awang Tengah (centre), Nga (4th left) and other delegates and participants pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony of the 5th Malaysia Urban Forum (MUF) 2023 at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre.
Nga then said the growth trajectory of the MUF demonstrates the importance of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 11.
“With 78 percent of Malaysia’s population living in cities and urban areas, and for Sarawak – 57 percent of its 2.9 million population are in urban areas. Urbanisation is inevitable, and if left unplanned, it will continue to lead humanity deeper into the climate emergency and higher forms of inequality and deprivation.
“And Malaysia is fully committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable and with just six years to realise and deliver successful implementation of the 17 goals and its 169 targets, there is a need for actions that can catalyse change and transform cities to be more resilient and sustainable,” he said.
He said the local leaders play an increasingly important roleas they connect directly to the communities and are involved in the planning, development and management of cities.
“It is therefore crucial for local leaders; be it their community representatives or local government, to operate in a more engaging manner that will lead towards a more effective and efficient management system,” he said.
He added strong partnerships between all levels is vital; including with communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), professionals, business, private sectors and with all levels of governments.
“Private sector plays an important role, where they can help in strengthening local economic growth and providing employment.
“Hence, partnerships to implement the sustainable agenda and transform the business environment is vital to overcome poverty and financing of sustainable development,” he said.
He added his Ministry has worked with communities, local and state governments to demonstrate that integrated development and comprehensive urban solutions can turn urbanisation into a development bonus.
“We have introduced various programmes and incentives to escalate the transformation of cities and urban areas into better living environments through the Ministry’s diverse portfolios that has a whole nation and whole of society approach,” he said.
Through URBANICE Malaysia and the Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Cities Roadmap programme, he said, 24 local authorities (PBT) in Sarawak have embarked on their SDG City Roadmap, and they are also part of the Malaysia SDG Cities Network launched on November 7.
“We hope this will assist in capacity building, knowledge sharing and assist to achieve the full potential in delivering sustainable solutions to pressing urban development challenges faced by the PBT and its communities.
“The cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Sarawak and the 24 PBT will accelerate the SDGs localisation process in Sarawak,” he said.
He added that to assess the performance and sustainability level of local authorities, as well as Smart City achievements of local authorities, the Ministry through PLANMalaysia has developed monitoring and evaluation tools to achieve smart sustainable cities, namely MURNInet and Smart City Ratings.
“This year, data verifications for MURNInet 2.0 have been undertaken with PBT in Sarawak and we hope to see the results by next.
“While for Smart City Rating, two PBT will be recognised as Smart City Early Adopters which will be announced on November 9 at the National Planning Conference,” he said.
Meanwhile, MUF 2023 themed ‘Catalysing Transformative Actions for Sustainable and Resilient Urbanisation’ is being held for the first time in Sarawak and is organised by the Ministry of Local Government Development through its agencies under it.
With Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) being the host for this year’s forum, the 5-day event is held until Nov 8 and is targeted to attract 5,000 participants.
Also present were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.
