Brunei Darussalam has joined more than 110 countries in endorsing the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The declaration was endorsed during the 2-day World Leaders Summit on Forests and Land-Use in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The United Kingdom as host and President of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP 26 officiated the event. Representing the Government of His Majesty at the World Leader Summit' Forests and Land Use Event was Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs, as representative of the 2021 ASEAN Chair. Also attending the Summit was Awang Haji Azhar bin Haji \Yahya, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, as Brunei Darussalam's Executive Committee Chair on Climate Change.

By endorsing the Declaration, Brunei Darussalam has joined others in the effort to, among others, conserve forests and other terrestrial ecosystems, facilitate trade and development policies that do not drive deforestation and land degradation, reduce vulnerability, build resilience and enhance rural livelihoods, implement sustainable agriculture, and accelerate the transition to an economy that is resilient and advances forest, sustainable land use, biodiversity and climate goals. Brunei Darussalam has a forests coverage of 72 per cent, with a capacity to absorb about 13.9 Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The country will continue to preserve its pristine rainforests by increasing the forest reserves from 41 per cent to 55 per cent of the total land area, and seek to increase the country's carbon sink further through planting 500,000 new trees by 2035.

Source: Radio Television Brunei