The Bureau of Environment, Science,
Technology and Natural Resources (BEST) was formed in 1990 to
conduct policy research in the areas of science, energy, natural
resources and the environment.
Activities in Science and Technology are built upon ISIS'
central role as the Technical Secretariat for the formulation of
Malaysia's Action Plan for Industrial Technology Development,
completed in 1990. Current work focuses on the policy framework
for the development of technologies, technology reviews,
technology planning, forecasting, and benchmarking, and
information infrastructure. Members of the Bureau are directly
involved in several national-level committees and groups dealing
with science and technology development, including the National
Council for Scientific Research and Development (MPKSN) and the
Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology.
Natural Resources and the Environment currently forms the major
focus of the Bureau's activities. Within the Bureau, Centre for
Environmental Studies was established to provide a sound,
integrated and coherent framework for policy formulation
relevant to the needs of Malaysia and other countries of
Southeast Asia. Initial funding for the setting up of the Centre
was provided by ISIS Malaysia with contributions from the Royal
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Canada-ASEAN
Centre.
The Bureau prepared the Malaysia country
report for the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in 1992, and participated in that conference
as an advisor to the Malaysian Delegation. It also assisted the
Department of Environment (DOE) in drafting and fine-tuning the
National Policy on Environment, eventually Cabinet-approved in
2002. The Bureau has also undertaken World Bank, FAO, and
UN-sponsored work on a number of issues. By 1997, two UNDP
projects managed by the Bureau were successfully completed, ie
on “Support to Environment and Natural Resources Research and
Development Capacity”; and “Environmental Management Capacity
Building”, the latter incorporating components on water quality
monitoring and toxic and hazardous wastes management.
In the area of Information Technology, the Bureau led the
deliberations on Information Superhighway and was later involved
in a number of the activities under the National Information
Technology Council. In 1995, the First Global 500 Forum
(established in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro)’s International
Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, themed “Towards Corporate
Environmental Excellence - Challenges & Opportunities in
Asia-Pacific,” in which the Bureau was actively involved,
witnessed the significance of building partnerships among the
business community, government and NGOs in encouraging corporate
environmental excellence. In April 1996 the Bureau served as
member of the Malaysian delegation to the 6th meeting of the
ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Economics, held in Kuala
Lumpur.
Within ISIS, the Bureau formed part of the 1997 ISIS Housing
Study Team for the project “Housing the Nation: A Definitive
Study” and in 2000, a report “Malaysia Initial National
Communication” outlining Malaysia’s efforts in addressing the
causes and impacts of climate change was compiled and prepared
by the Bureau working closely with experts from the government,
academia and NGOs. The collaborative effort continued and in
2001 it came out with another book, a compilation of five
reports, examining Malaysia’s reporting requirements under the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Input
from the Bureau also contributed to the ASEAN Case study on
Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) , completed May 2002.
Also in 2002, Bureau members were involved in the “National
Brains Trust on Education”, the International Visitors’
Programme (the latter still on-going), and subsequently the
First and Second East Asia Congress, held from 2003, events that
deployed ISIS research staff in full force.
In a follow-up to a February 2001 workshop on MEAs, the Bureau,
together with the United Nations University (UNU), the ASEAN
Secretariat and Ministry of Environment, Japan, co-organised the
“Inter-Linkages - Regional Workshop on Integrated Capacity
Building in ASEAN on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)”,
hosted by the then Ministry of Science, Technology and
Environment (MOSTE), Malaysia, in March 2003. In the interim,
collaborative work with UNU had also resulted in a Joint
Workshop on Asia-Pacific Environmental Innovation Strategy
(APIS) Project and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA); in
Tokyo, September 2001, where ISIS was represented by the Bureau.
Members of the Bureau are also directly involved in several
national-level committees and groups including the National
Council for Scientific Research and Development (MPKSN), the
Coordinating Committee for the Science and Technology and
Environment Ministry (MOSTE)’s Intensive Research for Priority
Areas (IRPA), the National Academy of Science’s Task Force on
Sustainability / Sustainable Development, and the BP-led
Steering Group on Biodiversity. The Bureau has provided
substantial input to several initiatives including the Dewan
Bahasa and Pustaka’s environmental glossary and dictionary,
MOSTE’s study on S & T Awareness, Report on status of scientific
R & D in Malaysia, the Selangor Government’s Local Agenda 21 and
ASEAN’s State of the Environment report. At the international
level, the Bureau works closely with the ASEAN Secretariat, the
United Nations University and the Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES). ISIS contribution now features
regularly in the annual IGES publication ‘Top News on
Environment in Asia’. Current work focuses on the policy
framework for new technologies, science awareness, environmental
governance, multilateral environmental agreements and the
interlinkages initiative, climate change, and business and the
environment.
Co-Organizer of Dialogue on Fires and
Haze, with Singapore Institute of International Affairs,
Singapore, 19 Oct 2006
Study coordinator on R & D component of Project on Industry
Cluster Development: R&D Inputs, November 2005 – April 2006
Participant of MIMA survey & workshop on “National
Consultation on Environmental Treaties and Programmes” in South
China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”, April 2006
Organizer of “Briefing on the Palestinian Situation”, in
ISIS, 15 – 16 May 2006, which addressed human security
challenges in occupied Palestinian territories and options for
technical assistance from Southeast Asian nations.
Rapporteur for Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) Seminar
on “National Integrity Plan – Reinventing the Future through
Good Governance”, KL, 8-9 August 2005
Participant in ‘(Brainstorming) Strategic Planning for S & T
and Innovation’, Petaling Jaya, 28 – 29 December 2004, organized
by Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI)
Participant in Workshop on Second National Communication, 17
January 2005, KL, to begin the process of preparing the second
National Communication (NC) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Plenary Presenter of Rapporteur’s report on “Narrowing the
Digital Divide - How Japan can assist ASEAN”, at the ASEAN-Japan
Colloquium – Partnership for Peace, Stability and Prosperity’
organized by Center for Japanese Studies, KL, June 30, 2003
Co-organizer of “Inter-Linkages - Regional Workshop on
Integrated Capacity Building in ASEAN on Multilateral
Environmental Agreements (MEAs)”, KL, 24 – 26 March 2003.
Participant in Preparatory meeting for Roundtable Discussion
on Sustainable Development (SD), Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM),
7 February 2003
Resource person for “Making Green News: Towards Balanced
Environmental Reporting”, seminar organized by The Asia-Pacific
Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Kuala Lumpur and
Cameron Highlands, 6-10 May 2002.
Member of USAEP-funded Colorado-Malaysia-Vietnam Initiative
on Urban Environmental Management, circa September 2002, to
provide inputs in the designing of Vietnam’s cleaner development
solutions.
Input provider to report on National Brains Trust on
Education, Kuala Lumpur, May 2002 and member of Study Group on
(usage of ) English in Science and Maths. August 2002.
Coordinator of ASEAN Case Study on Multilateral
Environmental Agreements (MEAs), KL, May 2002, to assist member
countries to identify synergies that exist among MEAs and
sharpen negotiating skills of national delegations.
Presenter of climate change scenarios and related
information at the National Workshop on the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Malacca, 3-4
October 2001
Manager of UNDP /GEF Project: Enhancement of Technical
Capacity to Develop National Response Strategies to Climate
Change, published “Malaysia – National Response Strategies to
Climate Change”, 2001, and co-edited Initial National
Communication to UNFCCC.
Commentator at Joint Workshop on Asia-Pacific Environmental
Innovation Strategy (APIS) Project and Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment (MA), United Nations University in Tokyo on 6 and 7
September 2001.
Input provider to and editor of the Second ASEAN State of
the Environment Report for the ASEAN Secretariat, the
publication of which was launched in Jakarta, August 2001 by
ASEAN Secretary-General Mr. Rodolfo Severino.
Resource person for session on Media and Human Rights in the
International Conference on Media for Democracy, 30-31 May 2001,
organized in Sri Lanka by Worldview International and UNESCAP.
Manager of UNDP projects, completed in 1997, ie “Support to
Environment and Natural Resources Research and Development
Capacity”; and “Environmental Management Capacity Building”
Presenter of paper ‘‘The Environmental Scenario in Malaysia”
at the 1st International Workshop for Strategic Research on
Global Environment, Institute for Global Environmental
Strategies, (IGES), Yokohama, Japan, 5 –6 Nov 1997
Member of the Malaysian delegation to the 6th meeting of the
ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Economics, Kuala Lumpur,
April 1996
Input provider to a UNCTAD-commissioned ISIS study on ‘Trade
and Environment Linkages for Selected Malaysian Industries’,
completed Feb 1996
Input provider to a EPU-commissioned ISIS study on 'Energy
Policy Analysis and Planning towards 2020', completed end 1995
Member of Organizing Committee of the first Global 500
Forum’s International Conference in KL, 17-20 October, 1995,
themed “Towards Corporate Environmental Excellence - Challenges
& Opportunities in Asia-Pacific”
Participant of the APEC Workshop on Human Resources for
Sustainable Development, Brisbane, Australia, 30 Jan -1 Feb 1995
Drafter and fine-tuner of the National Policy on
Environment, for the Department of Environment (DOE), organizer
of a 1994 Workshop on the same theme.
Drafter of country report for the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED) in June 1992, and
participant of that conference as advisor to the Malaysian
Delegation.
The Centre's current and prospective
staffing includes experience in environmental impact analysis,
urbanisation and land-use planning, analysis of
socio-psychological attitudes and perceptions in the development
process, environmental economics and natural resource
accounting.
Apart from its core permanent staff, the Bureau as a whole draws
upon a wide body of experience, from ISIS' staff and associates,
and from a network of external experts from government,
institutions of higher learning, and scientific and industrial
research institutes. A programme of Visiting Fellowships is
conducted to strengthen the focus of its activities, with
particular reference to environmental policy and issues.
