By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 3: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) has showcased five of its key healthy city initiatives at the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) Global Conference 2026 at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, highlighting Kuching’s efforts to build a healthier, more inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban community.
The Council’s participation saw three senior officers, senior assistant secretary Lilian Liew, Environmental Health officer Aneesah Adam and Agricultural officer Chai We Jin, present five papers after their abstracts were accepted by the AFHC 2026 Scientific Committee.
The acceptance of all five papers provided MBKS with an international platform to share its practical experiences and approaches in addressing urban health, environmental sustainability and community wellbeing.
The papers presented were “A Cleaner Future Through Bank Sampah – A Story of Community, Strategy and Sustainability”; “From Participation to Governance: Kuching South’s Dual Approach to Building a Child-Friendly City”; “Kuching South City Council Circular Organic Waste Initiative Using Takakura Composting Method”; “Advancing Healthy Ageing Through Age-Friendly City Initiatives: The Kuching South Experience”; and “Promoting a Circular Economy Towards Zero Waste and a Resilient Society: The Kuching South Experience.”
The five papers reflect the broad scope of MBKS’s Healthy City efforts, covering community-based waste management, child-friendly urban development, organic waste management, healthy ageing and the circular economy.
MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said the acceptance of five papers by the AFHC 2026 Scientific Committee was an encouraging recognition of the initiatives undertaken by the Council and the commitment of its officers to continuously improve service delivery to the community.
He stressed that the concept of a Healthy City extends beyond healthcare, encompassing the creation of an environment that supports the physical, social and environmental wellbeing of residents.
“Our five papers cover different areas, but they share one common objective, which is to improve the quality of life of our people.
“From children and senior citizens to waste management and environmental sustainability, every initiative contributes towards making Kuching South a healthier and more liveable city,” he said in a media release today.
Wee said MBKS encouraged its officers not only to implement programmes, but also to document their experiences, evaluate outcomes and share lessons learned with other cities.
“Having three of our senior officers presenting five papers at an international conference is an important opportunity for capacity building. Our officers are able to share what we have done in Kuching South, learn from other cities and bring new ideas and good practices home,” he said.
He added that initiatives such as Bank Sampah and MBKS’s circular organic waste programmes demonstrated how environmental challenges could be addressed through community participation and practical solutions.
At the same time, the Council’s Child-Friendly City and Age-Friendly City initiatives ensure that the needs and voices of different generations are taken into consideration in urban development, he said.
Wee also commended the three officers for taking the initiative to document MBKS’s work and present the Council’s experiences to an international audience.
He said participation in international platforms such as the AFHC Global Conference was important as it enabled MBKS to benchmark its initiatives against those implemented by other cities and identify approaches that could be adapted to Kuching South.
“Our participation should not end with attending conferences. What is important is that we continue to learn, improve and translate that knowledge into actions that benefit our community,” he said.
MBKS will continue to encourage its officers to pursue innovation, evidence-based approaches and knowledge sharing as part of its commitment to building Kuching South as a healthy, inclusive, sustainable and resilient city for all. — DayakDaily
