OPENING ADDRESS BY
ABDUL MUTALIB PEHIN DATO YUSOF
ACTING PERMANENT SECRETARY
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
BISMILLAHIRRAHMAANIRAHIM
ASSALAMUALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUH &
A Very Good Afternoon,
Yang Mulia, Tuan Haji Omarali bin Haji Mohd Ja’afar, Director of Civil Aviation as Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee
Dr. Yap Kok Seng, Chairman of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics
Distinguished Delegates from ASEAN Member Countries, Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat,
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO),
Japan Meteorological Agency, Korea Meteorological Administration,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 1.
Firstly, I wish to thank the organisers for inviting me today. Let me
also extend a very warm welcome to our ASEAN counterparts,
representatives from WMO, Japan Meteorological Agency and Korea
Meteorological Administration. Welcome to Brunei Darussalam! 2.
Allow me now to share some of my thoughts – perhaps not from a
meteorological expert point of view but rather from a layman’s
perspective of how pertinent early warning systems are, and their impact
to our lives in the event of natural disasters. I also hope to put
forward several action points for the meeting’s consideration by the end
of my speech today. Ladies and Gentlemen, 3.
Just take a look around us. We have seen natural disasters happening
within the region. Tsunamis, typhoons and earthquakes have ravaged some
of our neighbouring countries. The extreme nature, frequency and
intensity of these incidents are quite alarming. 4.
The impact is quite substantial too. Lives are lost, infrastructure
and properties damaged, and in some extreme cases, settlement areas and
communities are wiped out. With natural disasters happening around the
region, climate change has also become an imminent regional concern. 5.
In this opportunity, on behalf of the Government of Brunei
Darussalam, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims of natural
disasters in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, Philippines and
Indonesia. We pray for the speedy recovery of those affected by these
incidents. Ladies and Gentlemen, 6.
Consequences of climate change are becoming more apparent now. Rising
sea levels has increased the risk of disastrous floods. Shifting
weather patterns are now affecting food productions in some parts of the
world. 7. UN Secretary General Ban
Ki Moon has identified climate change as “the defining challenge of our
age”. These incidents continue to remind us to be vigilant,
coordinated and focused. 8. This
quote by Ban Ki Moon brings about a series of questions that I wish to
ask our selves. How do we mitigate the impacts? How can we improve our
early warning systems? Are we responding fast enough? Do we have enough
information and are we sharing enough? 9.
Without doubt, the importance of early warning systems could not be
more defined. I understand that the ASEAN SCMG has been actively
involved in the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (ASEAN COST)
Flagship Programmes, with particular focus on Early Warning Systems
(EWS) for Disaster Risk Reduction. 10.
The role and contribution of ASEAN SCMG is pivotal here. Accurate and
early warning of disaster is crucial. It can enable early mobilisation
of emergency response teams. It gives time for the general public to
take critical action within the limited timeframe that they may have.
This is critical in saving lives and properties! 11.
For Brunei Darussalam, we are no exception to the case. The
Government has put in place policies and strategic approaches to
adequately address natural disasters through effective early warning
systems. 12. Through the Civil
Aviation Department, we are now in the process of installing an advanced
and high resolution Weather Radar and forecast integrated system. With
this new integrated system ready by early 2012 next year, we hope to
enhance our capacity in monitoring and issuing severe weather warnings
well in advanced.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
13. Let me now share my thoughts on some probable action points for SCMG’s consideration: 14.
Firstly, let me touch on The Global Framework of Climate Changes
(GFCS). I have learned that this framework was just adopted by the WMO
Congress last June. Among others, the Framework offers us with valuable
strategic prospects in climate observation systems, research and
information management systems. I hope SCMG would be able to take full
advantage of this global call. 15.
Secondly, the ASEAN SCMG may wish to look into raising public awareness
and mitigation on climate change to the ASEAN community. Such exercise
may include sharing of findings and studies that can be translated into
doable measures to be undertaken not just by Governments and the
private sector, but equally important, by just anyone. 16.
Thirdly, I am also pleased to note the strong collaboration between
ASEAN SCMG and the WMO, as well as other partners like Japan
Meteorological Agency and Korea Meteorological Administration. I
strongly encourage for a continued and strengthened co-operation with
our partners, leveraging on their expertise and knowledge for our mutual
benefits. 17. Lastly, the ASEAN
SCMG serves as a platform for information exchange. The meeting may
want to share and explore best practices not only in operational and
technical aspects, but also the institutional and policy frameworks in
setting up a more effective Meteorological administration. 18. With that note, I wish you all a successful meeting and enjoyable stay in Brunei Darussalam. Thank you. 19.
With the ‘Kalimah Bismillahirahmaanirahim’ I now declare the 33rd
Meeting of the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics open. | 