Centre for IMT-GT Subregional Cooperation (CIMT) recently participated in the Workshop on Fostering Coastal Resilience and Blue Economy that was convened from 13 – 17 November 2023 at the Le Meridien Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The workshop was organised and held by the Asian Development Bank (ABD) brough together representatives from various regional cooperation. The workshop opened by Datuk Sr. Haji Mod Yusrie Abdulla, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Sabah, Malaysia and welcomed Mr. Firdaus Dahlan, Director of CIMT, Ms. Susanna Chew, Head of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Facilitation Center, Mr. Christovel Rotinsulu, Acting Executive Director, Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat, and Ms. Melody F. Ovenden, Senior Environment Specialist, Climate Change and Sustainable, ADB.

The workshop served as an interactive forum for discussion on strategies and good practices in coastal resilience and blue economy. Tailored to support BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT member countries, the event involved experienced environmental practitioners and planners specialising in coastal resilience and blue economy development within these regions. The workshop site-visit to Oyster Sinar Lentuong farm providing participants with the opportunity to observe firsthand how local communities and local government implement strategies related to the discussed topics.