Capon (second right) presenting Morshidi with a token of appreciation. Looking on are Abdul Wahab (left) and Hamid.

KUCHING: Developing the community, raising the level of public health and keeping good environment for the neighbourhood in and around the city is part and parcel of cultivating Kuching as a City with a Soul.

However, positive changes must be brought down to the residents so that they realise it is also their responsibility to make Kuching a happy place for themselves and their children.

“There is no point for a city to be rich if society is not united and happy, especially with the younger generation,” said State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani.

He was speaking at the welcoming dinner and launch of Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) Health and Wellbeing in the City We Need on Sunday night.

Taking place from Jan 24-27 at the Sarawak State Library, participants come from Australia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and all over Asia, including Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

Morshidi spoke of the liveability issues and challenges faced by Kuching, which can be broken down into seven items including public transportation, Kuching – River of Life, flood mitigation, solid waste management, wastewater management and crime.

On public transportation, the challenge is how to mitigate traffic congestion, which has become increasingly critical due to a large increase in private vehicles.

“Roads are no longer enough nor are conducive and public complaints are increasing. In our long-term planning, efforts are being carried out to improve the infrastructure for bus right-of-ways and its network.”

He also said development should not sideline the river as it still has potential as another mode of transportation, with the waterfronts serving as alternative routes for bicycles and pedestrian walkways.

The development of the Kuching Centralised Sewerage System is on-going, whilst floating waste is continuously collected to reduce pollution of the river, Morshidi added.

“The final challenge is balanced development and sustainability that meets the need of the present urban population and not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, including economic, social and environmental sustainability.”

The Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) in Malaysia is a global event to re-imagine sustainable urban development in the interest of human health and environmental wellbeing.

It involves a wide variety of stakeholders such as civil society, grass roots, and professionals from health, planning, architecture, businesses, women’s and children’s groups, and more.

The UTCs are an initiative of UN-Habitat, conceived as an open space for critical exchange between urban actors who believe that urbanisation is an opportunity and can lead to positive urban transformation.

Organised under the aegis of the World Urban Campaign (WUC) in the context of the 3rd United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in 2016, the UTCs will contribute to the New Urban Agenda, which will frame global urban development in the critical decades to come.

The Kuching Campus is a global event to re-imagine sustainable urban development in the interest of human health and wellbeing.

The conclusions negotiated during this three-day campus will result in the Kuching Principles, giving a succinct voice to the health and wellbeing agenda and shaping The City We Need global partners’ position for Habitat III.

Among the issues that will be discussed are identifying key issues driving health and wellbeing in cities, and how they are all connected.

It’s been proven that people’s health is intrinsically linked to the environment. Humanity cannot thrive without Earth’s life-support systems. We live in an urban world, where solutions to the health of our people and our planet are linked.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Sarawak State Library Management Board chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Hamid Bugo, Datuk Bandar of Kuching City North (DBKU) Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai and United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) director Professor Anthony Guy Capon.