Joint Press Statement for the 14th Brunei-Singapore Annual Exchange of Visits

Joint Press Statement for the 14th Brunei-Singapore Annual Exchange of Visits on 14 December 2020

1 The Fourteenth Brunei-Singapore Annual Exchange of Visits on the Environment (14th BSAEV), instituted under the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Partnership in Environmental Affairs, was held virtually on the 14th December 2020.

2 The Brunei Darussalam delegation was led by the Honourable Dato Seri Setia Ir. Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, Minister of Development, and comprised Dayang Dr. Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak, Permanent Secretary (Planning, Landuse and Environment), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Education.

3 Her Excellency Ms. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, led the Singapore delegation comprising Mr. Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, National Environment Agency and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.

4 During the meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed the strong bilateral relations between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore and reiterated their commitment to foster continual progress and deepen cooperation on environmental protection.

5 The Ministers noted the steady progress of existing projects and programmes of the two countries in the areas of solid waste management, air quality management, water resources management, environmental youth exchange programmes and climate change. In this regard, the Ministers endorsed the continued efforts in solid waste management in both countries, notably, Brunei Darussalam’s plastic waste management, development of waste management regulations and waste-to-energy feasibility study. On air quality management, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore exchanged information on monitoring and enforcement strategies to enhance air quality in the areas of industrial and vehicular emissions.

6 The Ministers noted the exchange of youth environmental programmes and congratulated the successful implementation of the 1st ASEAN Youth Eco-Champions Award that was held in October 2019 as part of the ASEAN Environment Day hosted by Cambodia.

7 Both Ministers agreed for Brunei Darussalam and Singapore to enhance collaboration in water resource management such as rainfall prediction system, smart catchment and smart sewer system, and knowledge sharing on water and wastewater services, best practices and activities. This also includes smart prepaid metering system and water efficiency labelling scheme governance to further enhance the water conservation awareness, control and policy of used cooking oils in commercial premises, and maintenance of pumps for sustainable wastewater management.

8 The Ministers agreed to step up cooperation on climate change, particularly by sharing best practices on mitigation and adaptation measures as well as identify areas for joint collaboration.

9 Both countries reiterated their commitment to cooperate with other ASEAN member states to advance regional environmental interests to achieve sustainable development and provide a healthy and clean-living environment for the people despite the unprecedented situation of COVID-19.

10 Singapore noted Brunei Darussalam’s theme of “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper” for its Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2021, and pledged to support and contribute to Brunei Darussalam’s vision for the region.

11 Singapore will host the 15th BSAEV in 2021.