AMBASSADOR TODD ENCOURAGES BRUNEI'S ENVIRONMENTALISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000080

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS FOR EAP/MTS/COPPOLAMG, EAP/RSP/WYCKOFFA
DEPARTMENT PASS FOR OES/DAWSONC
BANGKOK FOR REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TBIO EAID KINR BX

SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR TODD ENCOURAGES BRUNEI'S ENVIRONMENTALISM

SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Ambassador Todd has encouraged Government of Brunei (GoB)
officials, as well as the private sector to pursue more definitive
actions to protect the environment. Of particular interest is the
Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative. Recently, Ambassador Todd met with
the likely new head of Brunei's HoB Council who discuss the
difficulties that Brunei and the Hob Project face within Brunei.
While funding is available, specific conservation actions as well as
comprehensive master plans are not completed or even started.
Additionally, the US Embassy is currently unable to provide aid
bilaterally to the GoB, which limits Embassy's official engagement.
Brunei can serve as the "honest broker" for regional efforts but
more direct support and guidance is needed. End Summary.

AMBASSADOR TODD METS WITH HoB LEADERS
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2. (SBU) Recently, Ambassador Todd invited local and regional Heart
of Borneo officials to met with him regarding the current status of
the HoB initiative. Mr. Mikail Cavanaugh, who is likely to be
selected as the new head of the Brunei HoB council, briefed the
Ambassador on his ideas and concerns regarding HoB in Brunei and
regionally. Cavanaugh told Ambassador Todd that while Brunei has
received solid financial support from a variety of sources, actual
project work is progressing slowly. He noted that private sector
companies have given over a million dollars (Brunei). In addition,
the British and Japanese governments have continued to provide
financial and technical support on a bilateral basis to Brunei.
Lack of direction, limited planning, and a wait and see attitude
have hampered conservation efforts. Corporate sponsors are now
placing some of their donations on hold. Cavanaugh noted that
Brunei can serve as an "honest broker" for regional conservation
efforts and as a catalyst for further action. He said Brunei would
welcome more direct USG involvement on a bilateral basis.
Ambassador Todd and Mr. Cavanaugh agreed that environmental issues,
such as deforestation and water management have broader regional
stability concerns.

WWF PERSPECTIVE
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3. (SBU) Cavanaugh provided Ambassador Todd with a comprehensive
overview from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) perspective. WWF sees
the HoB Initiative as a collaborative effort to establish and
reinforce a network of protected areas and sustainably-managed
forests, through international cooperation led by the three nations
containing the Heart of Borneo - Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Central to the success of the Heart of Borneo Initiative is enhanced
transboundary collaboration, engagement of local interests in short
and long-term planning, sustainable financing, and the cooperation
of the private sector and civil society in establishing sustainable
resource management practices.


4. (SBU) Since the signing of the Heart of Borneo Declaration in
2007, WWF has assisted the three governments in developing a
trinational blueprint designed to enhance national actions through
improved cooperation and transboundary collaboration. The
overarching trilateral political commitment to the HoB is a
cornerstone for future conservation and sustainable development
success. WWF believes regional collaboration is necessary to
realize a comprehensive program of sound resource management in the
face of climate change impacts, protect biodiversity and enhance
regional economic and resource security.

REVIEW OF BRUNEI'S ROLE IN HoB
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5. (U) Cavanaugh also reviewed Brunei's Role in HoB. He noted the
HoB initiative began with an exploratory international workshop that
was held on 5-6th April 2005, hosted by Brunei's Ministry of
Industry & Primary Resources (MIPR),with the assistance of WWF. It
generated a conservation vision and an action plan for the Heart of
Borneo. Since then, the ASEAN Heads of Government have endorsed the
importance of conserving a network of protected areas in the Heart
of Borneo (Kuala Lumpur, December 2005) and the BIMP-EAGA Heads of
Government have made this a Flagship Project which has their full
support (Kuala Lumpur, December 2005 and Cebu, January 2007). In
March 2006, at the 8th Conference of the Parties of the Convention
on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil, the three Bornean
governments affirmed their intention to work together to conserve
and sustainably manage the Heart of Borneo.


6. (U) Subsequently, MIPR hosted the First Trilateral Implementation
Meeting for HoB in Bandar Seri Begawan. Among the agreements at this
meeting, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia undertook to prepare their
own national HoB implementation plans, while at the same time
developing international co-ordination mechanisms to ensure the

BANDAR SER 00000080 002 OF 002


harmonious development of the overall initiative. Brunei's national
document, the Project Implementation Framework, provides a roadmap
for the national Heart of Borneo endeavour and was completed in May

2008. It has subsequently been accepted by the national HoB Council,
which itself has been established as the guiding body for HoB
implementation in Brunei.


7. (U) It is important to note that Brunei has played a major
catalytic role from the very beginning when it convened the April
2005 workshop. It has effectively contributed to leadership of the
initiative through skilled diplomacy, and it is able to act as a
pilot or testing-ground for both planning and projects precisely
because of its manageable size and relative lack of some pressures
on its natural resources. This is why Brunei is able to style itself
as the Beacon of the Heart of Borneo, and therefore U.S.G. support
for the Heart of Borneo through Brunei will further enhance the
country's unique ability to lead transnational collaboration with
Indonesia and Malaysia.


COMMENT
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8. (SBU) Brunei wants to be a leader in Environmental causes.
However, lack of planning and a slow decision making process by the
GoB has stymied much of their progress. Because Brunei is rich in
hydrocarbon resources they can afford to promote good stewardship of
the land, water, and air. The real problem is they do not have the
technical skill to implement their conservation plans and lack a
comprehensive master plan. This lack of progress has lead some of
Brunei's major Hob corporate donors (Shell, HSBC) to hesitate on
further commitments. Brunei has often started major programs, such
as increased rice production, but seen them flounder for lack of
planning and technical expertise. Ambassador Todd has spoken out on
how Brunei can move forward and is committed to continue US Embassy
engagement. Bilateral efforts will be greatly enhanced if the
Embassy were able to bring aid and expertise directly to Brunei,
especially to facilitate their role as a catalyst and honest broker
in regional conservation efforts.


TODD