The EWB Asia Network Annual Conference, held from June 17 to 18, 2023, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marked a historic milestone as the diverse EWB Asian chapters convened in person for the first time. Hosted by the EWB Malaysia chapter and attended by counterparts from Hong Kong and Singapore, the conference provided a platform for mutual exchange of progress and plans for the future.
The conference started off with a brief introduction to EWB International, followed by the respective chapters in the Asian region. With EWB Malaysia being the hosts this year, participants were exposed to the culture and history of the country during the visits to various national monuments and the eco park, attending a workshop on nature conservation and also indulging in the local cuisine within the city of Kuala Lumpur. EWB Malaysia also shared more about their projects that were successfully completed, currently ongoing and upcoming in the months to follow. What was noteworthy though was the upcoming collaboration between EWB Hong Kong and EWB Malaysia for a rainwater harvesting project post-conference. GCP students from EWB Hong Kong presented their insights on addressing climate change and the challenges of depleting natural resources. The conference concluded with group discussions focused on how we, as a network of passionate individuals representing EWB, can achieve the UN SDGs together. This was followed by a goal setting session by the different chapters to progress towards achieving the SDGs.
The EWB Asia Network annual conference highlights the significance of regional collaboration among the different chapters. Despite the nature of the challenges being the same, or at least similar, such as impacts of global warming, depletion of resources, carbon emissions, inadequate quality of life and provision to basic necessities, each chapter uniquely presented their approach based on the environment and circumstances of their own respective countries. Undoubtedly, the variations in the approaches will serve as a source of inspiration for participants to adopt a more discerning stance and consider alternative solutions with an open mind. United as one EWB, our endeavors know no borders, affirming that collectively, there are no limits to what we can achieve.
By Daniel.