Govt committed to prioritise biodiversity conservation policies

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will continue to be committed to prioritise biodiversity conservation policies to preserve the wealth of the nation's biodiversity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government was also committed to ensuring that the pace of the country’s development is environmentally friendly for the benefit of future generations.

Citing the impact of participation in Expo 2020 Dubai as an example, Ismail Sabri said it would contribute to economic recovery and the development of the country in the future through trade cooperation, including the introduction of green smart homes, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, clean energy and several other future solutions.

"High dedication and close cooperation through a whole-of-government approach has made the Malaysian Pavilion an effective platform for sharing ideas and successfully highlighted the country's potential to lead the global sustainability agenda.

"The Malaysian Pavilion is a symbol of success of the Malaysian Family when its values ​​are translated into a strong plan of action and a unified attitude in achieving harmony, progress, sustainability and stability," he said at the Malaysian Pavilion Dubai Expo 2020 Appreciation Ceremony here tonight.

The Prime Minister said inclusive and sustainable development had also been the backbone of Malaysia's growth, where renewable energy, a people-centric economy, green technology and climate change mitigation were among the drivers of economic empowerment.

As such, the ‘Rainforest Canopy' pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which was inspired by Malaysian tropical forests such as Endau-Rompin National Park, symbolises the synergistic relationship between economic, social and environmental progress in Malaysia.

He said through the exhibition at the Malaysia Pavilion, visitors were exposed to the importance of humans protecting the environment and the need to live a healthy lifestyle.

"The Malaysian Pavilion showed the world how the use of science, technology and innovation is applied in driving green development and growth by incorporating green features such as rainwater catchment, solar technology and low-carbon and recyclable building materials.

"All these prove that humans can live in harmony by preserving nature and raise global awareness about the world and our shared responsibility in managing it," he said.

Ismail Sabri said overall, the Malaysian Pavilion received a total of 1.2 million visitors, and was even listed as one of the five greenest pavilions and generated a total trade and investment potential of RM77.25bil.

He congratulated the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation as the lead ministry and the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) as the implementing agency.

Expo 2020 Dubai which was hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates ran for six months until March 31 this year.

Ismail Sabri also wants the spirit of the Malaysian Family that was empowered at Expo 2020 Dubai to continue to be enlivened for the country's participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan and is confident that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry which will lead the participation will be able to make it another successful outing. - Bernama