Jerudong - The Ministry of Development held a workshop on the Krabi Initiative (KI) yesterday, at The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

The workshop reflects the start of the one-week meeting for the 64th Asean Committee on Science and Technology (Asean COST) and the 7th Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology (7-IAMMST).

The workshop was officially launched by Hj Marzuke bin Hj Mohsin, Director-General of the Public Works Department at the Ministry of Development and Chairman of the Asean COST. In his welcoming remarks, Hj Marzuke highlighted the importance of the KI workshop to further develop a framework for the Asean S&T (Science and Technology) cooperation in the context of Asean Community Building.

He further explained the implementation of the Krabi Initiative in Krabi, Thailand in 2010 in which ministers shared their visions of the Asean COST. These include the roles and responsibilities of science and technology, regional and global issues as well as the benefit of innovation to Asean citizens.

The Krabi Initiative runs with the theme, "Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for Competitive, Sustainable and Inclusive Asean".

The main objective of the workshop was to amalgamate KI with the Asean Plan of Action on Science and Technology (APAST) into a consolidated master plan for the Asean COST for the period 2012 to 2017.

During the workshop, several significant issues were discussed such as identifying and drafting coherent implementation plan of possible activities that addresses thematic tracks of KI and APAST flagship programmes which include early warning system for disaster risk reduction; application and development of open source software; biofuels; functional food; health and climate change.

Finally, discussions will be made on mechanisms of resource mobilisation through identification of possible donors interested to partake in COST's activities to implement the KI and APAST flagship programmes.

The workshop was attended by government officials and experts from S&T ministries in all 10 Asean countries, as well as stakeholders comprising academicians and S&T experts from universities, think-tanks and private sector organisations.

Also at the workshop to represent Brunei were officials and representatives from the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Health, Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE), Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Institut Teknologi Brunei, the Brunei Economic Development Board and the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS).

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin