KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has revealed that a sustainable development goals (SDG) centre is being set up to empower and intensify SDG programmes in the country and to keep track of their progress.
He said the establishment of the centre, under the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department, was given the nod during the National SDG Council meeting which he chaired yesterday.
“This sustainable development agenda requires comprehensive and inclusive involvement, as well as efforts from all parties to raise awareness among Keluarga Malaysia at the grassroots level and also among private companies,” he said in a statement today.
Ismail said the meeting also agreed on voluntary reviews of local authorities’ municipalities and district councils as well as at the state government level, in which a minimum of one report must be provided by each state.
He said each state is encouraged to prepare the review as a guide in monitoring Malaysia’s progress towards national development growth in order to achieve social, environmental and economic balance.
He also said the environment and water ministry has also been asked to finalise the carbon market framework at the end of this year in efforts to transition Malaysia into a low-carbon nation.
Yesterday, the prime minister chaired the National SDG Council meeting for the first time since its establishment in 2016, involving stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academics and civil society organisations, in which the country’s sustainable development agenda was discussed.
Members of the council include menteris besar and chief ministers, senior ministers and ministers, secretaries-general and heads of departments, cluster leaders of the SDG working committee and several MPs.
The SDGs are being implemented in three phases according to the national development plans, starting with the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), from 2016 to 2020, the current 12MP (2021-2025) and 13MP (2025-2030).
The SDG progress report is carried out every four years, in line with the United Nations’ recommendation that reports be presented periodically through the voluntary national review.
Ismail said Malaysia had presented the voluntary national review in 2017 and 2021 at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to fulfil the country’s obligations at global level.