DPM says Malaysia will champion three key initiatives for Asean's sustainable future

The Star

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof opened the Asean Workshop on Sustainable Development 2025 at Sunway University on Monday.  In his speech, he said Malaysia will chart a bold course for the future of Asean in its journey towards realising the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Shri Fadilah Yusof opened the ASEAN Workshop on Sustainable Development

00:072025 at Sunway University on Monday.

00:11Fadilah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, represented

00:16Prime Minister Datuk Shri Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently on a three-day working visit

00:21to the United Arab Emirates.

00:23In his speech, he said Malaysia will chart a bold course for the future of ASEAN in its

00:28journey towards realising the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

00:33To accelerate our course, Malaysia will champion three transformative initiatives – energy

00:39decarbonisation, biodiversity protection and economic connectivity.

00:47These efforts are not only vital to achieving our shared development goals, but will also

00:52position ASEAN as a global leader in sustainability and resilience.

00:58These priorities reflect our shared aspirations for a prosperous, sustainable and interconnected

01:05ASEAN.

01:06But achieving these goals requires collaboration between governments, the private sector and

01:12civil society.

01:14It demands that we leverage our collective strength as a region, embracing innovation,

01:22resilience and inclusivity.

01:25Also present were ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kau Kim Hoon, UN Sustainable Development

01:30Solutions Network President Professor Jeffrey Sach, and Sunway Group Chairman Tan Shri Dr.

01:36Jeffrey Chia.

01:37Chia emphasised the need for political will on the part of those in power in the public

01:42sector and a firmer commitment of the private sector to champion a more progressive and

01:47equitable future for ASEAN.

01:49It is heartening to note the agenda laid out by the Prime Minister Tatu Sri Anwar Ibrahim

01:56for Malaysia's Chairmanship of ASEAN for 2025.

02:02As the Prime Minister has said, this agenda is built around a vision of shared progress

02:08guided by the theme of inclusivity and sustainability.

02:15It seeks to combine economic pragmatism with human-centred values to leave no one behind.

02:26The UN SDSN's Asia Headquarters, based here at Sunway University and one of only three

02:33such centres in the world, is fully committed to playing its part in advancing these objectives.

02:42Chia also highlighted Sunway's commitment in embracing the 17 SDGs and incorporating

02:47them into its business practices and decision-making processes.

02:52We are firmly committed to the three P's, bottom line, of people, planet and prosperity.

02:58As we say here in Sunway, we can all do well by doing good.

03:05Speaking to reporters after his speech, Fadilah lauded the workshop for its role in furthering

03:10the sustainability agenda.

03:11Today is the proof that we are working well with the academia leading, with the support

03:17from the government, with the United Nations, with the SDSN and also of course the private

03:23sector and every one of us will have the role to play to make sure that we make not only

03:29Malaysia but the whole world to be sustainable and inclusive, where the future generation

03:38will have a better world for them.

03:40UN SDSN President Professor Jeffrey Sachs said he's optimistic about ASEAN in 2025 with

03:46Malaysia's chairmanship.

03:48I think there will be many breakthroughs this year on region-wide cooperation, on energy

03:54transformation, on biodiversity preservation, on economic development, on physical infrastructure

04:02connectivity and frankly a lot of the world is looking to ASEAN now as the place to come

04:07to invest, as a place that is central for the future of the green and digital future,

04:13as an education hub, so there are going to be lots of very high-level visitors coming

04:19to Malaysia during the ASEAN 2025 Presidency.

04:23It's going to be a big breakthrough year, a very positive year.

04:27Malaysia officially assumed the ASEAN chairmanship on January 1, 2025, marking its fifth time

04:34holding the position, having previously chaired in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.

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