Resident Coordinator's speech: Malaysian Youth SDG Summit 2023

YB Puan Munirah Majilis - Chair of APPGM-SDG

YBhg. Ts. Dr. Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu- Secretary General, Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia

YBhg. Prof Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria - Head of Secretariat of APPGM-SDG

Ms Zoel Ng - Director of mySDG Academy, Malaysian Youth SDG Summit & SDG Agent

Dr Hj Mohamed Maliki bin Mohamed Rapiee, Director of International Youth Centre, IYC

Young people from around Malaysia

Salamat Pagi, a very good morning to you all.

It is genuinely humbling to be invited to address this third annual Malaysia Youth SDG Summit.

To return to themes that I have emphasized in speeches in past years, youth have been, and will always be, a pivotal demographic for the achievement of the SDGs.  

This is not only as you represent future generations, for whom the goals have expressly been designed, but also because you are agents of change and a mechanism for delivering a sustainable and equitable future.

This year, 2023, is particularly significant as it represents the halfway point to 2030, and more so, because SDG progress, especially in the post Covid-period, has been severely lagging.  This applies at global, regional, and national levels and major efforts are now needed to bring SDG targets back to track.

Globally the position is very precarious. The Secretary General has characterized this year’s UN Summit as a final opportunity to rescue the SDGs. He has called on member states to develop plans and to take bold actions.  

And I underline that this call extends to civil societies and key demographics within countries, and crucially it includes youth, who will have a place at the discussions, and should be included and engaged with national policy responses.

Our latest analysis has made clear the depth of the global challenges faced, spanning all 17 goals.

I refer to some of the most pressing.   

For SDG 1, the pandemic reversed a 30-year trend of falling poverty. Moreover the recovery has been uneven and incomplete. Current trends suggest that without change, some 7 per cent of the global population (close to 600 million people) could still be living in extreme poverty in 2030.

Levels of hunger and food insecurity, under SDG2, have shown little improvement. The pandemic and recent hikes in food prices, driven by the war in Ukraine, have further worsened the position. Projections suggest by 2030, absent of decisive actions, global hunger and food insecurity could still be at 2015 levels.

Progress on gender inequality, tracked by targets under SDG5, key to the wider achievement of the SDGs, has stalled in aggregate terms. In many countries, we have seen regression. This is in terms of the material wellbeing of women and girls, as well as their representation in the economy and in government and parliament.

For SDG8, on inclusive growth and decent work, new challenges, including trade tensions and geopolitical impacts have given rise to new insecurities and inequities. Unemployment and under-employment rates have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Progress on the climate action goal, SDG13, is way off-track - globally, regionally, and invariably at country level too. Without transformative change, the world is heading towards a climate catastrophe.

The “war on nature” has worsened and progress on virtually all the environmental SDGs is lagging.

Finally, progress on the pivotal SDG 16 on peace and institutions, a goal which is also systemically important, has been very limited.  We have seen major increases in violent conflict across the globe - and shockingly, in 2023, one quarter of humanity lives in conflict affected areas and the refugee population has exceeded a record 110 million.

These are sobering facts, and while positions and trajectories vary at national state level, we have a common duty to address these weaknesses.

In Malaysia, where progress is generally better than the picture I have just described, several SDG challenges can be noted. I would single out two clusters. I note also that these have a special resonance for young people.

The first set are associated with the long shadow cast by the pandemic, affecting a span of SDGs:

Persisting economic effects have had major implications for youth – as new entrants to the labour market, younger workers often have less secure jobs and working conditions. There are remnant deficits in education and training which still need to be made good.  Plus, there a series of post-Covid spillovers in areas like health, particularly mental health, but also in maternal mortality and nutrition.

Second, is the environmental dimension, and particularly climate action, where despite considerable policy commitments, Malaysia’s progress does not yet match the mindset shift needed to change behaviour and patterns. And it is our action on these environmental goals that will shape the quality of life and opportunities to be enjoyed by future generations. 

I come then to the role that Malaysian youth can play as key actors in kick starting progress at community, local and national levels. I note that the theme of this year’s Youth summit Building Inclusive Communities and Localizing the SDGs in Malaysia, goes to the heart of much of what is required.

We see two principal channels through which young people can directly enable SDG progress.  Firstly, as advocates for progressive change and as participants in policy debates and discussions.  Very positively, new avenues for youth political participation have opened-up in Malaysia following the reduction of the voting age. You voice matters; your vote matters.

It is encouraging also that the Government has created opportunities for youth engagement through greater consultation and inclusion, under the banner of Malaysia Madani.

The second major route is through direct actions to secure SDG progress. The past eight years of SDG implementation have demonstrated the value of local action. Young people are agents of the change we need, through self-adoption or influencing new behaviors in others. 

Malaysia has a strong and vibrant civil society, and it is encouraging to see young people are active within many diverse groups and causes.  Working within communities and mobilizing through civil society and youth-led organizations can deliver lasting results.

Equally, youth are at the vanguard of new social movements spurred on by widespread access to technologies and media platforms. 

These new forms of influence and advocacy can be powerful tools in delivering the 2030 agenda.

Across the many platforms where the UN convenes and facilitates consensus and action, we are making space for youth to have a seat at the table.

As we work towards the Summit of the Future and to the adoption of “A Pact for the Future” in 2024, the UN Secretary General has recently issues a Policy Brief titled “Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policymaking and Decision-making Processes” with three clear recommendations:

1) Expand and strengthen youth participation in decision-making at all levels;

2) Make meaningful youth engagement a requirement in all United Nations decision-making processes;

3) Support the establishment of a standing United Nations Youth Townhall and an integrated programme from the United Nations system to facilitate greater diversity, representativeness, and preparedness in youth participation.

Here in Malaysia, UN agencies are actively supporting these efforts. The YELL initiative championed by UNICEF and UNDP is one example of youth engagement in climate and environment. Our presence here today is to reaffirm our support to your efforts.

In the context of the UN SDG Summit, to be convened next week, the UN has launched the Act Now campaign.  An app and set of online tools allow you to keep track of your carbon footprint and offer pathways to actions and small steps that can make a big difference.

We are very serious about the vital contribution that 1.2 billion young people can make in rescuing the SDGs. You are the future and changemakers and your individual and collective efforts can reverse the trends and achieve the SDGs at global, national and community levels.

I thank you all for your attention and wish you a summit of learning, exchange and action.