Resident Coordinator's speech: Malaysia’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2025 - Kick-off Conference

Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Luqman Ahmad, Deputy Secretary General (Macro), Ministry of Economy, Malaysia;

Dr. Noranida Zainal, Director, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia;

Yang Berusaha Encik Asfaazam Kasbani, Director of National SDG Centre, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia;

Esteemed colleagues, Government representatives;  

Colleagues from the United Nations Country Team in Malaysia; 

Distinguished representatives from the private sector, civil society, and academia; 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

On behalf of the United Nations in Malaysia, I warmly welcome all of you to the Kick-Off Conference for Malaysia’s Third Voluntary National Review (VNR) convened in partnership with the National SDG Centre under the Ministry of Economy.

I begin by thanking UNDP for inviting me to open this conference on behalf of the UN family. I also take this opportunity to welcome Mr. Edward Vrkic as the new UNDP Resident Representative.

As we gather today, I commend Malaysia’s government for keeping the promise of undertaking a voluntary review process every four years in order assess Malaysia’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Following two successful reviews in 2017 and then in 2021, today marks the beginning of a new journey driven by the Government, and crucially also one that engages multiple stakeholders. 

It is important to remember that we are not merely discussing a report, but embarking on a national participatory review process. The VNR is an opportunity to reflect on achievements, acknowledge challenges and analyse their root causes, and chart the way forward to accelerate progress, course correct and deliver on the promise to leave no one behind. 

Global and regional analyses show that the SDGs are severely off-track with only a small proportion of targets moving in the right direction. While Malaysia’s position is relatively better in the Asia-Pacific region and the ASEAN subregion, there are several national-level challenges. Moreover, a review of subnational data reveals stark deficits at state and local levels.

Nonetheless, Malaysia has made significant progress in the economic, social and environmental spheres, which has positively impacted its overall SDG performance. Notable progress has also been achieved in governance and institutions. 

Overall the country is on a positive trajectory towards 2030, and recent projections indicate progress on at least half the SDG targets. The main remaining challenges relate to meeting last-mile development requirements, commensurate with high-income status aspirations. These include transformative policies on environment and climate, quality of social services and effective measures to reduce inequalities within and between groups and regions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

The Secretary-General’s Guidelines on VNRs emphasize the importance of national ownership, inclusivity, and data-driven decision-making. They encourage countries to identify challenges and opportunities, prioritize actions, and track progress.

With regard to national ownership, Malaysia has demonstrated strong ownership of the SDGs by deeply integrating them into its national development plans. Both the 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans reflect a proactive approach to ensure that the SDGs inspire policies and concrete actions and serve to assess progress and impact. At the local level, the Voluntary Local Reviews have guided planning, prioritization and tailoring of solutions to local needs.

On inclusivity, I must say that the level of engagement of such a broad and diverse range of stakeholders around the SDGs is commendable. It demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring that everyone has a voice in shaping the future.

The VNR process is a precious opportunity to consult and engage with all stakeholders. The guidelines encourage an open and inclusive approach, where the government actively seeks the input of civil society organizations, academia, businesses large and small, key population groups –youth, children, persons with disabilities, women, older persons, indigenous peoples and other minorities. Leaving no one behind means that vulnerable and marginalized groups are enabled to participate and make their voices heard.

Another key feature of a successful review is that it should be underpinned by a rigorous, evidence-based assessment of progress, using the SDG indicator framework to guide the data collection and analysis. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

The year 2025 offers a crucial opportunity to assess progress towards inclusive, sustainable development in Malaysia. As the government has recently embarked on developing the 13th Malaysia Plan, the VNR findings have the potential to inform the national planning process and ensure that resources are effectively allocated to address the most pressing priorities. The stories, lessons learned, and recommendations from the VNR can provide key insights for a national development plan that delivers on the Madani vision and accelerates progress towards the SDGs.

A third Voluntary National Review (VNR) represents a pivotal opportunity to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Building on past reviews, it allows nations to assess achievements, address persistent gaps, and adapt strategies to emerging challenges. 

By fostering collaboration across government, civil society, private sector, and local communities, the VNR acts as a catalyst for partnerships that drive innovation and tackle systemic barriers. More than an assessment tool, a third VNR acts as a financing and mobilization tool and a roadmap for future action. It also fosters accountability and transparency.

The Malaysia UN Country is proud to witness your commitment to sustainable development. As you know, our current Cooperation Framework 2021-2025 was designed to accompany national SDG progress. We had the privilege to support the first two VNRs and welcome this new opportunity to engage with the government and all relevant stakeholders.

From now until the final report is submitted to ECOSOC and presented at the HLPF in July next year, the United Nations stands ready to fully support Malaysia in this important undertaking, reaffirming our commitment to leverage the collective expertise and know-how of UN agencies and explore opportunities for peer learning. 

We will ensure the review not only accurately captures Malaysia’s progress and challenges but also tells its unique story of development to the world.

Thank you.