Resident Coordinator's speech: Final Dissemination Event for Enhancing Equity, Quality, and Relevance of Malaysia’s Skills and TVET System

Her Excellency Ailsa Terry, British High Commissioner to Malaysia, British High Commission Kuala Lumpur

Ms Panudda Boonpala, Deputy Regional Director, International Labour Organization Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Dr Linda Lumayag, Malaysia Employers Federation

Distinguished participants,

Salam Sejahtera and good morning.

I am honoured to stand before this distinguished audience to celebrate a remarkable programme and its impressive results, fruit of years-long collaboration among the International Labour Organization, government agencies, the private sector, and social partners.

Please allow me to congratulate everyone in this room and beyond, who has contributed to the Skills and Prosperity Programme in Malaysia.

I thank my colleagues at the International Labour Organization for letting me join today’s event. Your strategic engagement and achievements have been an inspiration to the United Nations Country Team in Malaysia.

I also extend my deepest appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom for its unwavering support to this programme and the work of the UN in the Asia Pacific Region.

We are meeting just a few days after the UN General Assembly High-Level meetings came to a close. We watched, heard and read how world leaders see the present and the future of humanity. The challenges are enormous, and so is the urgency to enhance our collective determination to address them.

The SDG Summit convened at mid-point to the 2030 deadline to realize the Sustainable Development Goals and effectively leave no one behind. The Political Declaration adopted on 18 September reaffirms the global consensus around the SDGs as our blueprint to pursue transformative actions on poverty, food insecurity, gender equality, education, decent work, and the environment and climate, among others.

In Malaysia, the SDG picture is a mix of achievements and gaps. Since 2015, we have witnessed and supported Malaysia’s efforts to deliver on the 2030 Agenda commitments. To a large extent, national strategies and priorities across all sectors, have aimed to define where and what the country aims to be, and how it will get there. Human capital development is widely seen as a key enabler of progress.

There is a sheer awareness of the need to increase the skills of the next generation of youth to match labour market needs, and the program’s focus on Enhancing Equity, Quality, and Relevance of Malaysia’s Skills and TVET System was designed in response to that needed.

It followed a process of co-creation and implementation with government, social partners, employers, UN agencies, experts and other players. The program results have substantially contributed to several SDGs.

SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The programme has elevated the quality of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, consequently advancing the knowledge and skills of beneficiaries.

Thousands of people, including from vulnerable groups, young men and women, have been equipped with STEM or core skills and digital skills. The emphasis on lifelong learning fosters adaptability and skill relevance, necessary with evolving industry demands and technological advancements.

SDG 8 is about sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. Progress toward this goal is proving challenging on a global scale, and on many targets, progress is too slow, including in Malaysia. Decent work, which is the bedrock of equitable growth, social justice, and sustainable economic development, has been at the core of this programme. Delivering quality apprenticeship has provided youth and women with upskilling opportunities and increased their employability.

With Malaysia still grappling with a 55.6% female labour force participation rate, the Skills and Prosperity Programme has also contributed to progress on SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. A large proportion of beneficiaries are female.

Reducing other forms of inequalities, SDG 10, also a challenging goal in Malaysia, both in terms of spatial inequality and among groups, has guided the programme implementation and we are pleased to see how flexible training of female workers and skills recognition have reached the furthest behind in Sabah and Kedah, for example.

This was an attempt to take stock of the Skills and Prosperity Programme from an SDGs lens, but the same can be done from a 12MP perspective, and more recently from an Ekonomi Madani lens, especially as it calls for equality of opportunity and the adoption of a more progressive paradigm to lifelong learning.

I am confident that the achievements and lessons learned which you will review today have built a robust foundation for progress at scale. The consultative, participatory and multi-stakeholder approach is a key factor in the Programme’s success and reflects how we want to see the UN bringing added value in Malaysia, informing policymaking, broadening the knowledge base, and positively impacting the lives and livelihoods of individuals and communities.

Thank you.