Resident Coordinator's speech: Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund Networking Iftar

YBhg. Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican, Secretary General of Treasury, Ministry of Finance.

YBhg. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid bin Omar, Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Yayasan MySDG.

Ms. Karima El Korri, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.

YBhg Tan Sri-Tan Sri, Puan Sri-Puan Sri, Dato-Dato, Datin-Datin, The UN Country Team, Esteemed guests, partners, and Trust Fund Recipients

Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished guests, friends and partners,

Good evening and a very warm welcome to all of you.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to a special Networking Iftar, convened by the Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund. 

Let me begin by extending my heartfelt appreciation to YBhg. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Bin Omar, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan MySDGs and co-chair of the Fund’s Steering Committee. I also thank Dato’ Sri Johan Merican, Secretary General of Treasury and co-chair of the Fund’s Steering Committee. Thank you for your attendance this evening.

My appreciation also goes to esteemed colleagues in the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy, to members of our UN Country Team.

To our distinguished guests from the corporate sector, international chambers of commerce, thank you for making the time to be with us today. Your presence reflects your commitment to and shared dedication to partnerships for the SDGs.

We meet today to celebrate Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund, an out-of-the-box idea which soon became one of the most talked about initiatives to support SDG acceleration in Malaysia. This pioneering model has already inspired several countries and UN teams in this region and beyond. 

The Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund was announced in 2022 and formally established in 2023. While it is clearly not designed to single-handedly advance Malaysia’s SDG progress –this is rather the Government’s job. But it is part of the SDG acceleration tools and is perfectly in line with Malaysia’s sustainable development journey and innovative approach to financing sustainable development.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

In face of the daunting challenges the SDGs face globally as well as regionally, the Malaysia-UN SDG Fund was designed as a catalytic engine of whole-of-government and whole-of-society engagement, particularly for those groups at risk of falling between the cracks. 

Notwithstanding its small size, at around 17 million Ringgit annually, its true value lies in its catalytic potential as a multi-donor, multi-recipient, multi-beneficiary funding mechanism where solutions are tested and scaled up and where strategic partnerships can unlock larger investments for sustainable development.

At its heart is the promise to leave no one behind, with a particular emphasis on underserved individuals, communities and regions not always covered by conventional development programmes.

This evening is an opportunity to engage with you and hear directly from some fund recipients whose proposals spoke to the fund’s core concept: local action pays off with concrete development outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable.

By tackling poverty, expanding access to essential services like healthcare and education, or supporting community-led solutions for climate resilience and environmental sustainability, these projects are changing lives and livelihoods. They are reaching indigenous communities deep in rural areas, informal workers, vulnerable women and young people, refugees, migrants and undocumented populations, indigenous populations and persons with disabilities.

Over the past two years, the Fund has launched two calls for proposals, resulting in grants to more than 30 projects with a combined funding of 33 million Ringgit. The 30+ projects that have been selected are transformative investments in people, in livelihoods, climate action, in agency and innovation, and ultimately in Malaysia’s ambitious future. They target a broad range of beneficiaries, and cover most areas across Malaysia.

So why come on board? 

The future of development financing is dependent on partnership with businesses. 

In a wider sense, the government will not achieve the SDGs by 2030 on its own, and funds such as the Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund are showing tangible impact: a healthier, better educated resilient and future-ready human capital that can directly benefit your industries or through entrepreneurship that can profit your business.  

Second, in a narrower sense, the Fund is a ready-made platform which you can utilize, as we take care of project selection, due diligence, oversight and impact assessment.

Contributing to the fund is therefore an investment with concrete returns for your companies, and broader sustainability outcomes at state and national levels.

The Fund’s priorities (People and Prosperity, Planet, and Peace and Partnership) are in line with the priorities of many of your companies and organizations - whether you are working to meet ESG standards, deliver on your corporate social responsibility, or looking to invest in Malaysia’s future stability, prosperity, and competitiveness.

As leaders in your respective industry, you are not only economic drivers - you are also influential change-makers who have the power to shape Malaysia’s sustainable development trajectory.

The Malaysia-UN SDG Trust Fund provides a unique opportunity to co-invest in high-impact projects with a close access to the UN’s technical expertise, global best practices, and on-the-ground networks that can amplify impact and visibility.

So, tonight, as we connect and break fast together, I invite you to join a growing global movement  where businesses, governments, and development partners come together to drive solutions that explore new ways to collaborate, by co-designing initiatives that leverage your strengths as innovators, investors, and industry leaders, towards the SDGs. 

From our end, as host and secretariat to the Fund, we pledge transparency and accountability. The fund is one among 90 active UN pooled funds administered by our Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in Headquarters.

Having managed over 20 billion US Dollars since 2004, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office ensures strong financial controls, independent oversight, and transparent reporting - giving you the assurance that every dollar, every ringgit contributed delivers maximum impact.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Contributing to the Fund, directly or through Yayasan MySDG means partnering with a platform that combines global best practices in fund management with the UN’s technical expertise at national and subnational levels --a smart and credible way to turn your corporate social responsibility and sustainability commitments into real action that benefits both people and the planet.

We will hear more from the other esteemed speakers shortly, but please allow me, in closing, to extend my immense gratitude to the members of the Steering Committee for building such a robust mechanism for strategic leadership, advocacy, decision-making and oversight. 

I am honored to have been one of the architects and advocates of this innovative SDG solution and commit, on behalf of the UN, to strengthen it and broaden its donor base.

I renew my sincere thanks to everyone who answered our call and look forward to meeting many of you and catching up with friends.

Very finally, my personal thanks go to the Fund’s Secretariat and RCO colleagues for turning this idea into a successful endeavour.

Selamat berbuka puasa and may we all leave tonight inspired to act together for a better Malaysia and a more sustainable and inclusive future.