• Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia opens forum convening regional leaders and experts here to deliberate critical next steps to achieve SDGs by 2030
• Panel sessions with senior Cabinet members expected to produce policy recommendations that will inform Malaysia’s leadership as 2025 ASEAN chair
SUNWAY CITY KUALA LUMPUR, 13 JANUARY 2025 – The Asia headquarters of United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“UN-SDSN”) kicked off its flagship two-day conference here, convening senior Cabinet members, high-level ASEAN delegates and leading academics in a concerted effort to advance the sustainable development goals by 2030. Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia II YAB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, in his keynote during the opening ceremony said: “Malaysia is committed to pursuing the sustainable development agenda with vigour and determination.
These priorities reflect our shared aspirations for a prosperous, sustainable and interconnected ASEAN, but achieving these goals requires collaboration between governments, the private sector and civil society.
It demands that we leverage our collective strength as a region and embrace innovation, resilience and inclusivity. Let us move forward together, not only as a community of nations, but as stewards of a better future for all.”
Themed “The Future of Southeast Asia’s Energy, Economics, and the Environment,” this conference takes place at a crucial moment as Malaysia assumes its chairmanship of ASEAN this year, underscoring Putrajaya’s commitment to lead the regional bloc and stamp its mark on the international stage.
ASEAN Secretary-General His Excellency Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said: “The SDG Summit 2025 represents a pivotal milestone for all of us. It offers an opportunity for ASEAN to showcase its progress and demonstrate the strength of our collective efforts towards sustainable development. This is a critical moment to reaffirm our commitment with the global SDG agenda and to achieve the best practices and outline our priorities with the broader international community.”
UN-SDSN President and Sunway University Sir Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Professor Jeffrey Sachs said: “ASEAN is a remarkable region. We saw pictures today of the beauty of the region and the leaders who were committed to protecting the beauty of the region, the remarkable cultures and the astounding biodiversity.
With Malaysia as the Chair of ASEAN in 2025, I think there are opportunities for tremendous breakthroughs. As you heard, UN-SDSN is working very diligently and very intensively on the connected themes of transformation.”
UN-SDSN was established in 2012 under the auspices of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and Sachs to mobilise the world’s universities, think tanks, and governments to achieve the 17 SDGs and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The Asia headquarters of UN-SDSN, based at Sunway University, is made possible by a generous gift of USD20 million by Jeffrey Cheah Foundation to the United Nations to advance the sustainability agenda.
UN-SDSN Asia at Sunway University is one of only three such global centres in the world working on continent-wide sustainability solutions. The centre in New York City oversees the Americas, while the centre in Paris is responsible for Europe and Africa.
Sunway Group founder and chairman, as well as UN-SDSN Malaysia Chair, Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah KBE AO said: “In doing what we are doing, I hope we can inspire more corporations in the region to commit themselves to the sustainability agenda. We strongly believe that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.”
A Platform for Collective Action
The ASEAN Workshop on Sustainable Development 2025 is designed to advance the discourse on Southeast Asia’s development and the critical next steps required to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
In addition to being in line with the MADANI principle of sustainability, the interventions at this important forum are expected to inform and enhance Malaysia’s leadership in the region as the chair of ASEAN this year.
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia II and Minister of Energy Transition & Water Transformation YAB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof is headlining the panel on ASEAN’s Green Future examining the synergistic and competitive interplay between three transformative forces: resurgence of nuclear power, expanding power interconnections and pumped hydro storage. Minister of Higher Education Malaysia YB Datuk Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir and Minister of Human Resources YB Steven Sim are spearheading the panel on the MADANI Education and Training Agenda, outlining priority areas for the country’s present and future human capital.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is scheduled to join the panel on Responsible Environmental Stewardship, where Head of UN-SDSN New York Emma Torres will present the Science Panel of Borneo – Southeast Asia, which was launched at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry YB Liew Chin Tong, UN-SDSN Asia Fellow Dato’ Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Head of UN-SDSN Asia Professor Emeritus Ulung Dato’ Dr Woo Wing Thye are on the panel on Transformative Economic Management to consider current and upcoming efforts of the MADANI government in a politically fractious world faced with daunting environmental challenges.
ASEAN Secretary-General His Excellency Dr Kao Kim Hourn, UN-SDSN Malaysia Chair Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah and UN-SDSN President Professor Jeffrey Sachs will convene the concluding panel on Moving the SDG Agenda Forward, and offer solutions to overcome barriers to international cooperation as well as keeping national commitments on track.
About Sunway Group
Established in 1974, Sunway Group is one of Southeast Asia’s leading conglomerates with 13 business divisions in more than 50 locations primarily across Asia. Our 20,000-strong team is committed to sustainable development and socio-economic progress through our diverse businesses including core interests in real estate, construction, education, healthcare, retail, leisure and hospitality.
Sunway is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and continues to align them with our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework as part of our corporate strategy and social responsibility towards driving the group’s long-term success and deepening our commitment to nation-building.
Our three public-listed companies — Sunway Berhad, Sunway Construction Group, and Sunway REIT — form a real-estate value chain that exemplifies socially responsible and robust business practices. For more information, visit www.sunway.com.my
About United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network
The SDSN was established in 2012 by the former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, and world-renowned economist and professor, Jeffrey Sachs. Under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, the SDSN works to mobilize the world’s universities, think tanks, and national laboratories for action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; empower societies through free online education; and translate scientific evidence and ideas into solutions and accountability.
Sunway and SDSN Malaysia participated in the inaugural SDSN solution forum, the Global Solutions Forum (GSF), in New York on September 25, 2019. Sunway Group’s Executive Director, Mr Ong Pang Yen, presented the solution Partnership for Sustainable Urban Development – The Sunway Model.
Membership at SDSN is free and open to not-for-profit institutions which are knowledge-generating and have deep expertise in one or more areas related to sustainable development. Organisations that fit the criteria can apply for membership at https://www.unsdsn.org/join-the-sdsn.