STUDENTS both local and foreign were called upon to become engaged, conscious and strive for understanding on the world’s issues at the eighth Borneo Global Issue Conference (BGIC) which started yesterday at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.
The BGIC was organised by the International School Brunei (ISB) in collaboration with HSBC and supported by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and BLNG, and saw the participation of 300 students from 16 secondary schools in Brunei and six schools from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Qatar.
Present to officiate the conference was its Royal patron, Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah.
Director of Roho Ltd Kate McAlpine, a children’s rights activist and researcher, as keynote speaker at the conference talked about how investing in children is also about investing for tomorrow.
“I know that small actions have big impacts on people and it’s only by helping individuals to achieve their potential that we’re going to make the world a better place,” she said, adding that “clear thinking and trying to understand the whole system is a much more useful way to approach the world”.
She added: “I also learned that small steps have big impacts… The world’s issues are big; but they’re fascinating and they’re soluble and they need you to step up,” she told the students.
The theme of this year’s conference is “The Rights of Children”, in line with the UN’s 20th anniversary of “The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)”.
The objective of the conference is to encourage international cooperation, awareness of global concerns as well as to develop public speaking skills of students. The dynamic student-managed conference also encourages young people to be responsible and tolerant citizens’ of the world.
At the conference, students will debate various topics in a mock simulation of UN proceedings in four committees: human rights, political, environment and economic-social.
Some of the topics will include a discussion on the impact of tourism in Borneo, improving the lives of millions of children who are slum dwellers, the growing problem of orphans and abandoned children, and access to education for all children in the world.
At the opening yesterday, McAlpine also spoke of the family and household as a critical environment for achieving change in children.
“The role of the state is in enabling the family to care for, educate and protect their children. To this end, emphasis now needs to shift to the domestic domain; to parenting education, social transfers that lift families out of poverty and addressing the unpaid burden of care that defines so many women’s lives,” she said.
McAlpine also stressed on quality as opposed to quantity of services. “Access to services has increased exponentially over the past five years, but the quality of care and service has not witnessed equivalent improvement,” she said.
The conference will end on March 15.
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