Kota Kinabalu: Sabah received RM22.75 million in funding from the Federal Government under the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) initiative to support environmental conservation efforts in the State.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the latest allocation brings the total funds received by Sabah under the initiative to RM126.36 million since 2019.
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“This clearly shows the Federal Government’s recognition of the State Government’s strong environmental conservation policy.
“The State Government welcomes the continued support from the Federal Government,” he said in a statement issued by the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department, Monday.
The funds were presented to Hajiji by Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, at Menara Kinabalu, Monday.
According to the statement, during the meeting, they also discussed proposed amendments to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and efforts to harmonise the National Climate Change Bill with Sabah’s state legislation.
The move is aimed at ensuring the Sabah Government can optimise the benefits of the carbon economy while strengthening biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability in the State.
Also present were Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Nor Yahati Awang, and other senior officials.
Meanwhile, Arthur stressed that stable cooperation between the Federal Government and Sabah is the cornerstone to ensuring the preservation of natural heritage for the wellbeing of future generations.
He said the commitment is reflected through continuous efforts to strengthen strategic synergy between the Ministry and the State Government in advancing the environmental sustainability agenda as well as the management of the nation’s natural resources.
He said the matter was among those discussed during his courtesy call on Hajiji on Monday.
During the meeting, the Federal Government also recognised Sabah’s efforts in maintaining protected areas through the disbursement of Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) funds amounting to RM22.748 million for the first phase of 2026.
The disbursement follows the 2025 allocation of RM35.69 million, bringing the total received by Sabah since 2019 to RM126.357 million to support the implementation of biodiversity conservation projects in the State.
“This courtesy call also focused on matters under the framework of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including amendments to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 [Act 127] involving the granting of authority to control scheduled waste on land and in Sabah’s waters.
“In addition, the process of returning Federal land lots to the State Government is now in its final phase for Cabinet approval,” he said in a statement.
