JOHOR BAHRU, 22 Jan. – The Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security (IPASA) at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), in collaboration with the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub, held a training course titled “Action-based Community Engagement and Decision-making Process”. This course was part of the initiatives under the GCRF project. It saw the participation of 35 individuals from a diverse range of institutions, including the Johor State Health Department (JKNJ), Department of Minerals and Geoscience Malaysia (JMG), Johor State Forestry Department, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB), Johor Meteorological Office, Johor National Park Corporation, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Ranhill SAJ Sdn. Bhd., National Water Services Commission (SPAN), Development Authority of Johor Tenggara (KEJORA), World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia), Kulai District Office (PDKu), and Kota Tinggi District Office (PDKT).

The training course was dynamic and interactive, designed to equip participants with the necessary exposure and knowledge to cultivate a more engaged and inclusive community. It began with an exploration of the importance of stakeholder-community engagement, emphasizing the crucial role every stakeholder plays in shaping the collective future of their communities. Participants were divided into morning and afternoon sessions, each featuring different scenarios and settings. The participants formed four mixed groups, with a moderator and rapporteur in each group. The first scenario involved promoting effective communication channels to support the community-based approach, while the second scenario focused on proposing the community-based approach.

These engaging sessions created an immersive experience for all stakeholders from multiple levels, helping them understand their roles and exposing them to the decision-making process. The training enhanced multi-level stakeholders’ participation and inclusivity in decision-making, strengthened understanding and awareness among stakeholders about the issues and impacts of their involvement, and facilitated collaborative decision-making and co-creative action plans.

Through this training, our aim was to ensure that participants became aware of and reinforced the concepts learned, and were inspired to drive positive change within their communities through effective co-creative engagement and decision-making.

Source: UTM NewsHub