Sarawak Energy reaffirms commitment to youth development, sustainability at summit

Abdul Karim (front row, fifth left) together with others at the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2024 at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre on June 26, 2024.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, June 28: Sarawak Energy is committed to nurturing young talent across both urban and rural areas in Sarawak through investments in education and capacity building for the next generation.

Speaking at the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2024 on Wednesday (June 26) at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre, Sarawak Energy’s senior vice president for Corporate Services, Siti Aisah Adenan, highlighted the company’s sustainable hydropower developments.

These developments adhere to the standards and guidelines of the International Commission on Large Dams and the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance’s Hydropower Sustainability Standard for safe and efficient operations.

“We look to maximise the positive impacts of our operations and projects on the surrounding environment and communities while minimising any negative ones.

“We are fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) – particularly Goals No7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), No 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), No 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), No 5 (Gender Equality), No 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), No 13 (Climate Action), No 17 (Partnership for the Goals), and No 15 (Life on Land),” she said in a media release today.

Elaborating on Sarawak Energy’s commitment to sustainability, Siti Aisah mentioned the Group’s Tree Planting, Protection, and Habitat Restoration Campaign 2021 to 2030, which aims to combat climate change through nature-based solutions.

She also highlighted the organisation’s initiatives to empower local youth through the Sarawak Energy Scholarship Programme, bursaries, educational funds for Belaga, Bakun Baleh, and Batang Ai communities, internship placements, the campus ambassador programme and SCIENCE by Sarawak Energy – aprogramme focused on powering young minds by advancing education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, also reaffirmed Sarawak’s commitment to sustainability in line with the Paris Agreement with action plans such as developing the sustainable Sarawak blueprint, increasing urban green spaces, and reducing carbon emissions, among others.

He emphasised that youth engagement and advocacy is central to Sarawak’s sustainability efforts hence it is importance to empower the youth to take the lead in shaping the dialogue as well as driving action for a sustainable future.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Deputy Minister for Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan, Telang Usan assemblyman and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chairman Dato Dennis Ngau, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datu Sherrina Hussani, and STB chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor.

RAYS 2024 is an inaugural event organised in conjunction with the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2024 by the STB to empower young leaders and champion youth and indigenous-led solutions on biodiversity and ecosystem preservation, climate adaptation and sustainable development. Sarawak Energy is one of the sponsors.

Themed ‘Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future’, the summit saw a total of about 1,000 delegates with eighty percent being youth from across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, and Malaysia. — DayakDaily