SPEECH TEXT BY DR GRAHAEME HENDERSON MANAGING DIRECTOR BRUNEI SHELL PETROLEUM COMPANY SDN BHD BRUNEI ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE 2005 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE 21ST NOVEMBER 2005 Your Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah Binti Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu izzaddin Waddaulah The Honourable Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar Minister of Development Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Dr Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein Deputy Minister of Development Pengiran Pengiran, Pehin - Pehin, Dato - Dato, 1
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen On behalf of Brunei Shell Petroleum Company management and staff, I wish to thank Your Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah for graciously accepting our invitation as our royal guest of honour this morning to officially open the Brunei Environmental Conference 2005 and to recognize Brunei Shell Petroleum Company s achievement of ISO14001 certification. It is a great honour and pleasure for the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, in association with the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to host this important event that contributes to promoting the environment. Brunei Shell Petroleum has had the privilege of being the partner in various environmental and protection initiatives in Brunei during the last seventy-five years and we look forward to continuing this into the future. In today s world, it is imperative to balance economic and social developments with the need to conserve and protect the environment. The many threats to the global environment have been widely documented. For example, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) states that no less than fifteen thousand species are threatened with extinction in the world today. It is therefore apt that the Conference theme is Our Environment Our Responsibility. I believe this theme conveys the message that each of us has a role to play in protecting the environment. Over the next two days, delegates will share and exchange information on a number of environmental topics, including international and 2
national legislation, incorporating the environment into our business, biodiversity and the natural environment in Brunei. By promoting awareness, dialogue and action, we can work together to protect the environment for future generations. This issue is at the top of our agenda at Brunei Shell Petroleum. We care about the environment, and we care about the future of Brunei. This commitment is not new. Protecting the environment has for a long time been a key priority across all aspects of our business. The cornerstone of our environmental programme is the internationally recognized environmental management system, ISO14001. The journey to embed this important management system began way back in 2000 with the Seria Crude Oil Terminal, achieving certification. This was followed by all other company asset and service units. More recently, in November 2004, the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company in its entirety was awarded ISO14001 certification. This further provides us independent recognition that environmental best practice continues to be at the heart of all our operations. This successful endeavour was made possible by the strong commitment and dedication from each and everyone, in the Company and our contractors. We acknowledge the support and encouragement provided by our external stakeholders, the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Shell. This is of course only the first step and we must strive to continually improve our performance. The Brunei Environmental Conference supports this process. 3
The rich biodiversity of Brunei s flora and fauna is truly breathtaking. Brunei is indeed a unique country. And the local commitment to the environment is amply demonstrated by the fact that it has managed to maintain more than eighty percent of its forest cover. It has an impressive forest management system with at least one recreational forest reserve in each of the four districts. Brunei s seas are also renowned for their coral and marine diversity. The preservation of these natural wonders has resulted from impressive environmental management within the country, through various programmes and policies of the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. The drive for economic diversification, has been accompanied by a strong recognition for the importance of protecting the environment and its contribution to sustainable development. Brunei Shell Petroleum is proud to be associated in some part towards cataloguing the richness of Brunei s biodiversity through the production of various reports and publications, as part of the company s Environmental Impact Assessment studies. Our support includes programmes such as the Princess Rashidah Young Nature Scientist Award. At a personal level, our employees are actively involved in a range of voluntary projects, one of the most notable being the Brunei Shell Petroleum s Panaga Sub Aqua Club, Life Beneath the Platforms. This scientific project contributes significantly to the understanding of the marine biodiversity that exists beneath the off-shore production platforms. Life Beneath the Platforms was recently awarded the Duke of Edinburgh s Prize. We are really proud to be able to share part of this study with conference delegates tomorrow. 4
I would like to conclude by thanking the organising committee which has worked long and hard to make this event possible, and to thank all of you for being here today. Your attendance demonstrates strong support for the environment. My appreciation also goes to the speakers who have volunteered their time and effort in making this Conference possible. In particular, my special thanks goes to The Honourable Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Development for his keynote address. On behalf of Brunei Shell Petroleum s management and staff, I wish to thank Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah Binti Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu izzaddin Waddaulah for accepting our invitation to present the ISO14001 certificate and launch the Brunei Environment Conference 2005. Thank you. 5