Urbanice Malaysia CEO Norliza Hashim shares anecdotes on how the individuals within the business events sector can contribute to the city and world as a whole.
Just as the saying goes, “no idea is too small to change the world",
Urbanice Malaysia CEO Norliza Hashim believes that no one is too small
to make a positive difference to the country.
Speaking at Malaysia Business Event Week (MBEW) 2022 on 29 August,
Hashim – who heads the entity under the Housing and Local Government
Ministry – encouraged business events professionals to pursue the path
of sustainability, no matter how small their starting point is.
Malaysia’s New Urban Agenda, which details how the country as a whole
can accelerate the localisation of sustainable development goals
(SDGs), as a prime example of how the business events community can get
started.
The New Urban Agenda was formulated by the Housing and Local
Government Ministry in collaboration with Urbanice Malaysia and the
United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) to support
Malaysia’s Sustainable Developments of the Decade for Action by 2030.
“Many cities in Malaysia have already committed to the sustainable
agenda, so it’s important that event organisers and the whole ecosystem
of tourism industries abide by all these elements to push the agenda
forward as a whole,” Hashim said.
Describing SDGs as “multi-dimensional”, Hashim highlighted that the
business events industry can help to (i) devise and implement policies
to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local
culture; and (ii) develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable
development impacts from tourism activities.
“The ways to go about hitting these SDGs are endless. You can look at
it from your individual contribution, or in a more secular manner,"
said Hashim.
A thought-provoking encounter during World Urban Forum III, which
took place in Vancouver back in 2006, changed how she viewed personal
impacts. A local bus driver told her that if she and her colleagues were
not at the pick-up point by the stipulated time, he would not drive
back for them. In the driver's words: “Every time I make a round, I
actually burn more carbon.”
This is what education is about, even from someone down the event chain like a bus driver – these are the stories we want to hear when we talk about sustainability.
Norliza Hashim, CEO, Urbanice Malaysia
Hashim confessed that she was initially taken aback by the bus
driver's rebuke, but went on to applaud the firm stand he took on the
environment. She remarked: “This is what education is about, even from
someone down the event chain like a bus driver – these are the stories
we want to hear when we talk about sustainability.”
Another trip to San Francisco opened her eyes to how the tech
companies based there were involved in giving back to the local
community and providing solutions for the homeless. Some companies she
engaged with had set up different types of digital literacy programmes
to upskill people and help them get jobs.
“It’s not just about trying to have an agenda itself, but even
companies, when it comes to a certain level, need to start giving back,”
she said, urging the events professionals with similar stories to share
to come forward and showcase their efforts at Urbanice Malaysia’s
sustainability centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Equally as important, stressed Hashim, is the need for a greater focus on generating positive impacts from responsible tourism.
“That’s core for ensuring that whatever events we do have a
long-lasting impact, not only to the city but also to the community and
the environment. That’s more important than just having an impact on the
economy.”