Sarawak’s leadership in energy transition, environmental sustainability highlighted at Bangkok conference

KUCHING (March 27): State Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni represented Malaysia at Sustainability Week Asia (SWA) 2026 in Bangkok, where he outlined Sarawak’s leadership in energy transition and environmental sustainability.

The conference, which concluded yesterday, was organised by Economist Impact and regarded as one of the most prestigious sustainability platforms in the Asia-Pacific region.

Now in its fifth year, the anniversary edition brought together about 1,000 leaders from industry, government and environmental, social and governance (ESG) sectors.

Key areas discussed included net-zero strategies and green finance, industrial decarbonisation, sustainable supply chains, biodiversity and natural capital, as well as the development of smart and green cities.

Dr Hazland first spoke during a dinner roundtable on March 24, where he emphasised the importance of nature-based solutions and biodiversity conservation as essential components of sustainable economic growth.

Yesterday, he participated in a Ministerial Interview session titled ‘Resources to Resilience: Sarawak Leadership in Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainability’.

During the session, Dr Hazland shared Sarawak’s regulatory, technical, financial, and human resource enablers that position the state to capitalise on its abundant natural resources while advancing its sustainability agenda.

He also highlighted the importance of collaboration with technical partners and investors, particularly amid the current global energy crisis, which he described as a turning point for nations to strategically accelerate the energy transition and reduce dependence on oil and gas.