Resident Coordinator's speech: Global Compact Malaysia Brunei Office Inauguration

Honourable Senator Saraswathy Kandasami, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development;

Professor Datuk Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

Mr. Faroze Nadar, Executive Director, Global Compact Malaysia and Brunei;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen; good afternoon to you all,

It is an honour for me to be here today, on the new premises of Global Compact Network Malaysia and Brunei, inaugurating this space and wishing our colleagues and friends more action, ambition and achievements.

Congratulations to everyone, and thank you for inviting the United Nations. We are proud to count GCMYB among our strategic partners in moving the 2030 Agenda forward, and mobilizing all partnerships for the SDGs.

Some twenty-three years ago, the late UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had the vision and foresight to initiate a global compact of shared values and principles between the United Nations and business.

Since the SDGs adoption in September 2015, and the Paris Agreement in December of the same year, we have seen sustainability turn into a strategic business agenda, with businesses increasingly aligning their policies with all GC Ten Principles, recognizing the SDGs as crucial for the future of their businesses and taking action to deliver results at the scale needed for such an ambitious agenda.

Responsible businesses, corporate citizenship and sustainable business practices are all part of the terms and principles that bring us together today.

They lie at the very heart of the UN GA resolution of December 2021 in which UN Member States renewed their support to the principles and work of the Global Compact to achieve stronger private sector engagement and innovative partnerships.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is not only necessary, but urgent. Halfway to 2030, and with a globally off-track trajectory to achieve the SDGs, private sector engagement as a sustainable development partner is critical. We need a more enabling and conducive environment for SDG acceleration, and your role is critical.

Local chapters of the UN Global Compact have witnessed an exponential growth in recent years and they have played an undisputed role in advancing the global vision at country level.

I am honored to represent the UN in the Advisory Panel of GCMYB, which now has 220+ members. I am also encouraged by the level of commitment and results achieved so far.

I am confident that this new facility will continue to host and promote networking, learning and collaboration among Network members and partners, and help build a robust base of resources and best practices.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The work of the UN in Malaysia, with its 21 agencies, funds and programmes, is anchored in the principle of multi-stakeholder engagement. SDG 17 is a key enabler of our work.

Over the past couple of years, we have engaged with government and the private sector in a broad range of areas.

For example, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) works with the Government and the private sector on policies and legal frameworks that ensure the achievement of greenhouse gas emission targets.

The International Trade Center (ITC) is working closely with both MITI, MATRADE and other government agencies, but also the private sector, on trade capacity and how to improve sustainable production standards and practices.

IOM (International Organization on Migration) supports responsible employment initiatives and has partnered with businesses on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and on migrant recruitment, promoting alignment of industry and business practices to international standards.

UNDP and other agencies are supporting the national action plan on business and human rights.

ILO have several programmes aimed to promote decent work and employee-employer 

Another area of work we are very proud of, and which is a joint initiative with GCMYB, is TogetherforSDGs.

This online platform, which went live in 2022, provides private sector enterprises, CSOs and NGOs, as well academic institutions, the opportunity to showcase their activities, investments and resource allocations from an SDG perspective.

It aims to facilitate knowledge and experience sharing and open new avenues for partnerships. But this is really a great opportunity for self appraisal in terms of SDG mainstreaming and focus, and we welcome inputs from more companies and SMEs,  and suggestions to enhance the portal’s usefulness.

I am pleased that today’s event coincides with the launch of UNGCMYB Academy, which will complement these efforts with tools, knowledge and training needed to go beyond raising awareness, and effectively drive the adoption and implementation of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact.

We need ambition and scale. GCMYB undoubtedly has the ambition and a clear vision. But to deliver at scale, and meet the expectations of Malaysia’s vibrant business sector, it needs your engagement and support. 

Thank you for making the UN in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam part of this exciting journey which began a few years back and will certainly gather more energy, speed and scope going forward.