The Prime Minister’s Office as the Secretariat to the Special National Coordination Committee (SNCC) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in collaboration with School of Business and Economics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBDSBE), organised the inaugural two-day forum with the theme ‘Sustainable Consumption and Production, A Solution for All’, in conjunction with Brunei Mid-Year Conference dan Exhibition (MYCE) 2024. The opening session of the Brunei Mampan Forum took place at Senate Room, Chancellor Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

Attending as the Guest of Honour was Yang Berhormat Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin, Member of the Legislative Council. Also present were Yang Mulia Pengiran Hajah Siti Nirmala binti Pengiran Haji Mohammad, Permanent Secretary (Wawasan), Prime Minister’s Office as Chair for SNCC SDGs, Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Permanent Secretaries, UBD Vice Chancellor, Head of Departments, General Managers, Managing Directors, and Executives Officers from the relevant agencies.

Panel members and moderators, both locally and internationally, including the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Global Compact for Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam (UNGCMYB); Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore; Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change; and RMIT University Melbourne Corporation participated in this forum.

Permanent Secretary (Wawasan), Prime Minister’s Office, Yang Mulia Pengiran Hajah Siti Nirmala binti Pengiran Haji Mohammad, as Chair for SNCC SDGs, in delivering her opening remarks, highlighted the importance of SDG Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), the focus of the forum, to sustainable development, requiring mindful consumption and production choices from all levels of society. In her speech, she further added the forum represent a commitment towards transforming the responsible production and consumption of goods and services approaches, which plays a vital role in promoting innovative solutions and practices that protect the environment. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum in accelerating progress towards SDG 12 and encouraged participants to embrace transformative ideas and integrate sustainability into daily life to support national efforts in achieving the SDGs and Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Yang Berhormat Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin, Member of the Legislative Council, as the Guest of Honour, in her keynote remarks, welcomed the forum’s theme focusing on SDG 12. Yang Berhormat emphasized that consumption and production are integral to the daily lives of society and the need to have wise decision-making concerning purchases, products usage and responsible disposal. Yang Berhormat also urged society to be bold, creative and open to new approaches as well as the change in mindset to find solutions towards a more sustainable future. Cooperation from all sectors and levels of society was also highlighted to attain a more meaningful impact. This commitment also includes the active involvement of Legislative Council members in raising awareness and advancing the SDGs through national and multilateral efforts. Yang Berhormat concluded her keynote remarks with the hope that Brunei Mampan Forum would foster collaborative efforts to achieve a sustainable future for Brunei Darussalam.

On the first day of the forum, participants listened to presentations and discussions on sustainable consumption and production covering national, regional, and global trends, progress, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Government perspectives featured a high-level dialogue on national approaches to sustainable production through energy transition, sustainable natural resource management and environmental protection. Discussions from the consumer perspective, addressed consumer behaviour and strategies to educate and influence consumers towards more eco-friendly and sustainable products. The private sector discussions focused on business practices aligned with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

The main objective of the Brunei Mampan forum, among other is to provide a platform for senior officials as well as local and foreign experts from the government agencies, academic institutions, private sector, non-governmental organisations, and the youth to share experiences and discuss creative, practical and sustainable solutions to accelerate more progress in the implementation of the SDGs, particularly Goal 12. It is hoped that this forum able to raise awareness on sustainable practices and instil a sustainable culture and behaviour amongst society in Brunei Darussalam.

Brunei Mampan Forum is an initiative by SNCC SDGs to gather strategic and comprehensive inputs for developing an action plan to further advance SDG 12. For more information on SDGs, visit the SDGs Brunei Darussalam website at https://www.sdgbrunei.gov.bn and follow on Instagram: @sdg_brunei.