KOTA KINABALU: District offices and local authorities play a key role as facilitators of grassroots development due to their closeness to the people, said Datuk Myrna Jimenez @ Isabelo.
The Sabah Ministry of Rural Development Permanent Secretary said current challenges require a more inclusive, responsive and collaborative governance approach across multiple agencies.
She cited climate change, urban-rural development gaps, cost of living pressures and service delivery as key challenges.
She said this when officiating the Leadership and Best Practices in Local Governance Forum 2026, being held from June 29 to 30 at a hotel.
The event brings together District and Assistant Officers, Municipal Council Presidents, mayors, government agencies, research institutions, civil society organisations and development partners from across Sabah.
She also stressed that the Sabah Government remains committed to strengthening the delivery system through digital transformation, governance improvements and capacity building.
She said she hoped the forum would not only serve as a platform for idea-sharing but also produce practical and implementable action plans for each district to strengthen public service delivery.
Themed “Driving Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Governance”, the forum focused on best practices in district administration, localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), data-driven development planning, service delivery innovation, and strengthening strategic cooperation between government, local authorities, academia, the private sector and communities.
Over the two-day programme, participants attended plenary sessions on strengthening district economic governance, enhancing social inclusion and community wellbeing, as well as best practices in waste management and disaster preparedness in Sabah.
In addition to academic sessions, the forum also featured a community initiatives and solution partners exhibition showcasing community development projects from across Sabah, including community-based tourism products, handicraft, food products, circular economy initiatives, social enterprises, agriculture and local innovation.
The forum is expected to serve as a catalyst for the production of best-practice documentation in local governance to be used as a reference for districts across Sabah.
In line with the Sabah Maju Jaya aspiration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the forum is expected to empower local leadership as a key driver of sustainable development and improve public wellbeing through more responsive and effective governance.
The forum was organised under the multi-agency district-level policy intervention initiative through collaboration between the APPGM-SDG Secretariat, the Finance Ministry and Yayasan Hasanah, with support from the Economy Ministry and the Sabah Government. – Wu Vuide
Myrna (right), visiting the community initiatives exhibition.
