The Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance's Participation at the Malaysia SDG Summit 2024

The Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2024 was organised on 17 and 18 September 2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. This year’s theme, SDG Local Actions for an Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Malaysia, focused on mobilising local communities and multiple stakeholder collaboration to achieve the SDGs. This was Malaysia’s second SDG Summit since its first Summit in 2019.

Deputy Economy Minister, Dato Hajjah Hanifah Hajar Taib, reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment in achieving the SDGs by accelerating implementation measures within the remaining 6 years.

Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was also present to launch the Summit. In his speech, he emphasised that sustainability is beyond achieving economic policy interests, it is instead essential for the country and humanity. He also highlighted that justice and security concerns must include the environment and climate.

Being civil society partners to Pusat SDG Negara (National SDG Centre), the Alliance was invited to speak during several plenary sessions:

1. Kon Onn Sein (Yayasan Kajian dan Pembangunan Masyarakat) – Plenary 1 (People) – Poverty and Livelihood, Ending Poverty: Malaysia Story

2. Kiu Jia Yaw (Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance & Bar Council Environment and Climate Change Committee) – Parallel Session 4 (Prosperity) – Environment, Social and Governance, A Whole Nation Agenda: ESG, Moving Beyond Compliance

3. Omna Sreeni-Ong (ENGENDER) – Plenary 6 (People) – Mainstreaming Gender, Gender Perspectives in Powering Progressive Policies towards Sustainable Development

4. Lavanya Rama Iyer (Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance & WWF Malaysia) – Plenary 7: Way Forward in SDG Implementation: Rethinking Development Framework

The Alliance also shared during the SDG Summit’s pocket talks held at the exhibition area. We invited speakers representing different marginalised communities to speak on their lived realities and share their experiences on “being left behind”. These themes revolve around accessibility and aid for the elderly, gender discriminatory citizenship laws, destructive development in Orang Asli lands, and living as a person with disabilities.

Our 2023 Policy Brief was also showcased during the pocket talk, as well as at the exhibition booth. We are happy to share that we have successfully given a copy of the Policy Brief to the Prime Minister, Deputy Economy Minister, and the Deputy Health Minister. We hope that our recommendations, most importantly – amending the Federal Constitution to recognise the right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and moving Beyond GDP, will be taken up by the government as part of their accelerators in achieving the SDGs.