Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held an opening ceremony for the UBD-AUN Summer Camp 2024 on the 3rd June 2024 at the Pro-Chancellor Arts Centre, UBD. The event was graced by Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad, the Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education. The event was also attended by Dr Hazri bin Hj Kifle, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Dr Chin Wei Keh, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at Ministry of Education.
Dr Mohd Khairul Zarifi bin Haji Masri, the Deputy Director of Global Relations at the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs), UBD, in his welcoming remarks, he emphasized that UBD is delighted to be among the first university to kickstart this series of AUN summer camps across ASEAN universities.
Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad, the Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education, delivered the keynote address and launched the event at the ceremony. He emphasized the theme of this summer camp, “Green Horizons,” encapsulates the vision of a sustainable and thriving world, where nature and technology harmoniously coexist. He added that in His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in His Majesty’s Titah, to mark Brunei Darussalam’s 38th National Day in 2022, underscored the importance of digital transformation in driving economic progress and sustainability. Yang Mulia Dr Haji Azman Bin Ahmad, the Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education then officiated the UBD-AUN Summer Camp 2024, themed “Green Horizons: Harnessing Digital Transformation for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development.”
This event is participated by more than 100 students from 30 ASEAN University Network (AUN) member universities, which UBD is one of the founding AUN members since November 1995.
The event featured a video presentation of UBD-AUN Summer Camp 2024, showcasing its goals and activities, as well as cultural performances from Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The ceremony also featured a guest speaker Haji Muhammad Iqbal Fakhri Bin Haji Damit, Recipient of ASEAN Prize 2022, who shared his experience with the students on “Youth Empowerment in ASEAN: Futuring Together,” emphasizing the critical role that young people can play in shaping the future of ASEAN.
Universiti Brunei Darussalam is one of the 30 universities within the AUN, and this year UBD is one of the 9 AUN universities that is hosting the AUN Summer Camp. This initiative was endorsed last July during the 14th AUN Rectors’ Meeting to promote interregional cross-border exchange and stimulating multidisciplinary learning experiences for the students of ASEAN and to empower them on their global competency skills.
This summer camp will be held for 14 days, concluding with a closing ceremony will be held on 12 June, where students will present their final outcome on the topics such as Smart Cities and Biodiversity, AI and Remote Sensing for Biodiversity Monitoring and Preservation, Blockchain and Sustainable Supply Chain, and New Developments in Conservation Science. During these 14 days, students will also be participating in excursion activities such as Beach Cleanup and Green Horizons Tree Planting Ceremony.
