Brunei Darussalam

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Sphiere Sdn. Bhd.: An IT and Digitalization based micro company whose services specialise in developing mobile applications, websites, software, and graphic design where they identify their customers' problem statements and provide IT digitalised solutions. In August 2022, Sphiere Sdn. Bhd. launched a tree-planting mobile application called Atmosphiere, where they hosted a Tree Planting event to commemorate the milestone. The application encourages the public to contribute to the reforestation and afforestation of Brunei Darussalam by subscribing to a tree-planting service or volunteering to plant trees. The concept for the tree-planting mobile application was born out of a collaboration between Shell LiveWIRE Brunei, the Forestry Department, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe), and the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat (BCCS). In October 2022, Sphiere Sdn. Bhd. signed a landmark agreement with BSP to develop a greenhouse gas emission monitoring and visualisation application for BSP operations.

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Giving back to the community in a time of crisis became a priority for volunteers as they dedicated their time and energy to prepare and deliver food rations provided by the Government to people under the Quarantine Order during the COVID-19 pandemic.F ood distribution centres were supported by volunteers from government agencies and the youth. The Youth Volunteers COVID-19 Task Force (Sukarelawan Belia COVID-19) in collaboration with the Brunei Darussalam Red Crescent and supported by MCYS, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) under MOHA, and MOH held a drive through donation campaign that allowed the public to contribute food items or cleaning materials for underprivileged families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On 7 August 2022, during the 16th National Youth Day celebration, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang DiPertuan of Brunei Darussalam launched the Mengalinga App, a platform for people to register as volunteers; for organisations to offer programmes; and directory for NGOs in Brunei Darussalam. This is a collaboration between MCYS, Baiduri Bank, UTB’s students, and Nextacloud (a youth company).

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Reef Check Brunei (RCB) is a registered NGO dedicated to the conservation of coral reefs in Brunei Darussalam through education, research and conservation. Founded in 2016, RCB’s mission is to empower people to save the nation’s reefs and ocean through the three key pillars and aims to train volunteer divers to become EcoDivers to conduct Reef Check Survey to monitor the status of Brunei Darussalam’s reefs. RCB currently runs at 18 members who actively volunteer their time during the weekend to help out with the organisation’s operation. Project AWARE Dive Against Debris ® Survey: This is an international movement under PADI AWARE where volunteer divers conduct underwater marine-debris clean-up operations and collect data on the number of debris obtained during each dive. River Clean-Up Operations (RECOVER): SOA BN,a youth-led NGO, engaged more than 200 volunteers who had successfully collected more than 310 bags of waste. For their fifth clean up activity, volunteers hauled in 244 kilogrammes of waste from the river.

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There was also a rise in volunteers where Sukarelawan Belia (Youth Volunteers) assisted at hospitals, clinics and vaccination centres; assisting in food deliveries and logistics.

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Youth volunteers have shown that volunteering efforts can lead to collective action through shared interests and values. This is exemplified in the case of Green Brunei, a youth-led platform that is committed to environmental sustainability, where the organisation frequently hosts beach clean-up, waste-collecting, and tree-planting activities. Utilising their network of volunteers, the group regularly collaborates with other stakeholders such as government, schools and education institutes, private firms, and other NGOs alike causing a bigger impact. For example, Green Brunei organised a river clean-up activity with Mitsubishi Corporation, attended by government officials, the local community, and school children. This merging of like-minded people in the spirit of volunteerism oversaw the collection of over 400 kilogrammes of trash. To date, Green Brunei has organised 245 events, planted 1,958 new trees, collected over 46,000 kilogrammes of trash, and engaged with 18,202 volunteers through their programmes.

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MCYS has taken steps to develop a Native Mobile Application (Mengalinga), with strategic partners UTB and Baiduri Bank, where its primary function is to provide a platform to enable event organisers and NGOs to promote volunteering opportunities and connect volunteers through the application. The mobile application launched in 2021, playing the role of the Government’s national center for volunteerism, promotes awareness talks, networking events with like-minded people, and links to NGOs and volunteering groups.

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The link between volunteering activities in the country and SDGs need to be clearly established and closely linked to effectively measure achievements made from volunteering activities. Aside from that, mechanisms for effective reporting and data collection must be prepared and strengthened in order to record these achievements accurately. Measuring the impact of volunteering activities to specific SDG indicators will promote a more organised and coordinated volunteering efforts towards sustainable development.

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Suggested actions that could help in realising green and sustainable nation, and building on key initiatives that support environmentally-friendly businesses and sustainability projects, include the adoption of renewable energy [.... ] supporting relevant agencies in data collection and improving the nation’s data capacity through collaborations from researchers and volunteers;