Stakeholders must understand need for SDGs, Azmin Ali says

Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the government was committed to striking a balance between realising its aspirations to become a developed nation and meeting the demands of sustainability,

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need for all stakeholders to fully understand the requirements to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said.

This he said, includes taking stock of where the nation, region and respective sectors stand with regard to achieving all United Nations' 17 SDGs.

The government according to him was committed to striking a balance between realising its aspirations to become a developed nation and meeting the demands of sustainability, despite facing an increasing pressure to comply with various international and multilateral commitments.

"Additionally, while we are committed to implementing the SDGs, we are concerned with external factors that will undermine growth, such as the US-China trade war, global trade uncertainties as well as geopolitical developments that have adverse repercussions on the region," said Mohamed Azmin in his opening remark at the SDG Summit 2019 here today.

He noted that since Pakatan Harapan government took office about one and a half years ago, the government has undertaken institutional reforms that are also in line with SDG’s No. 16, namely establishing Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

"Our efforts have been recognised as one of the most striking changes in Malaysian public policy from the previous administration," he said.

The government he noted was taking a holistic approach in poverty eradication by focusing on healthcare, housing and education, in line with SDG number one to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, as these were the three main areas impacting the B40 group.

At the same time, the government would strengthen the fundamentals of the country’s economy to generate sustained robust growth to enhance the purchasing power of people and provide a decent standard of living by 2030.

"As one of the fundamental criteria to fulfil the SDGs is the provision of affordable housing, an integrated approach is taken to provide a liveable environment that is inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable," said Mohamed Azmin.

As for measuring the poverty line, the government he said had taken a comprehensive view with the introduction of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in the Mid-Term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan.

Azmin pointed out that the question of sustainability in development must also entail measures to attain food security for the nation as a whole.

"However, Malaysia’s current food import bill, which in 2018 was more than RM50 billion, clearly does not bode well for efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

"Initial attempts must, therefore, be in place to minimise food imports and reverse the trend, with

measures to boost productivity of the agriculture sector and develop new high-skill human capital to obtain optimum levels of production," he added.

Themed "Accelerating Progress on the SDGs: Whole of Nation Approach”, the two-day summit is co-organised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and United Nations Malaysia.

The summit, which will end tomorrow, has attracted more than 2,000 participants.

The Malaysia SDG Summit 2019 aims to review SDG progress in the country and share best practices, provides a multi-stakeholder platform to identify strategies towards addressing key bottleneck issues. - Bernama