Seminar To Fine Tune Present Forest Policy
By Za'im Zaini

Bandar Seri Begawan - The 2nd Asean-ReFOP Executive Seminar on Peer Consultation Framework (PCF) was recently held in Paris from December .4 - 8. The seminar was organised by the Asean and Regional Forest Programme (ReFOP), Germany.

Participants from Brunei Darussalam were led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources DatoPaduka Haji Hamdilah bin Haji Abd Wahab.

Among the objectives of the seminar were to develop and agree on the principles, concepts, methods, information resources and strategies necessary to implement the Asean Peer Consultations for a sound forest policy development in Southeast Asia.

The seminar produced the outlines of the Country Memorandum for Brunei Darussalam and the specific Peer Consultation Framework (PCF) questionnaires stipulating the policy agenda on sustainable forest management and the initiative related to the heart of Borneo.

The seminar also agreed on the report format, PCF plenary meeting schedules and timeline for the implementation of PCF exercise in Brunei Darussalam.

PCF is a voluntary exercise and learning process, which involves two other Asean member countries (Cambodia and Philippines), nominated as the assessors and Brunei Darussalam as the country to be assessed on the above policy matter.

PCF is to be exercised in Asean all the way by all means through mere consultation compared to the original terminology used and exercised in the European Union (EU) Peer Review.

This first pilot PCF exercise is aimed to address the needs for Brunei Darussalam to further fine-tune the present national forest policy with regard to the sustainable forest management and best practices in line with regional and international obligations and standards respectively.

This reflects the importance of the national forest resources in providing the socio-economic and environmental benefits to the people and the country and taking a leadership role in the regional and global forest policy agenda as well as maintaining the ‘green image' of Brunei Darussalam.

The pilot PCF exercise is expected to commence by January and be completed by June 2007, in which an assessment report for Brunei Darussalam will be prepared and finalised by the three participating countries and the Asean Secretariat.

The report will be used by Brunei Darussalam as the national guideline in fine-tuning the present forest policy agenda and it will be made available for all Asean member countries for and as a vehicle in developing a more effective forestry agenda to support Brunei Darussalam's commitment to the Heart of Borneo Project, whilst capitalising on the economic opportunities derived from our green or strong conservation policy.

The report will also be made available for all Asean member countries for their information and reference, and as-a-blueprint for future Asean-PCF initiatives. The seminar was conducted in the traditional spirit of Asean coordination and cordiality. Asean expresses its particular gratitude to the hospitality of OECD and support by ReFOP, Germany.

Also attending the seminar were Dato Paduka Awang Zainidi Sidup, the Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam, and officials from the Forestry Deptartment including Acting Deputy Director of Forestry Mahmud Haji Yussof, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resource Special Duties Officer Pengiran Malik Pengiran Badaruddin, and Pengiran Zamhadi Pengiran Haji Maharee, the Second Secretary of Brunei Darussalam at the Embassy in France. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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