Resident Coordinator's speech: Human Rights Day Forum 2025

Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform)

Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md. Yunus, Chairman of SUHAKAM

Yang Berbahagia Datuk Zamri bin Misman, Director General, Legal Affairs Division, Prime Minister’s Department

Yang Berbahagia Datin Paduka Anizan Siti Hajjar Adnin, Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Representatives from the Government

Excellencies, Ambassadors and Heads of Missions

Members of the UN Country Team

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Selamat pagi semua.

On behalf of the United Nations, it is my honour to join you at the Malaysia Human Rights Day Forum 2025.

This gathering, convened together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, the UN in Malaysia and SUHAKAM, reflects Malaysia’s enduring commitment to rights, human dignity, and justice for all.

Nearly eighty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out a simple but transformative vision: that every person is born free and equal in dignity and rights. 

This vision continues to guide us, through the nine core human rights conventions that protect fundamental freedoms; economic, social, and cultural rights; and the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, and migrant workers. 

Together, they form the architecture of human dignity that the world has pledged to uphold.

In his message for  Human Rights Day, the United Nations Secretary-General reminded us that human rights are under strain everywhere: shrinking civic space, rising inequalities, growing discrimination, and too often, indifference to suffering. 

But he also called on us to stand firm, to protect institutions, defend the vulnerable, and never look away.

This call resonates deeply in Malaysia. 

Human rights are not abstract concepts. They are the foundation of inclusive development, social justice, and peaceful coexistence. 

And they rely on the collective work of government, civil society, the private sector, communities, and international partners. 

Together, we strive to strengthen the national systems that translate rights into reality: quality education, comprehensive health services, protection from violence, a sustainable environment, and meaningful civic participation.

In the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals, and Malaysia’s own commitment to leaving no one behind, we reaffirm that women and girls, persons with disabilities, children, and all those at risk of exclusion must be at the centre of policy, investment, and action.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Last year, all UN Member States unanimously adopted the Pact for the Future. 

At its core is a simple truth: there can be no sustainable development, no lasting peace, and no shared prosperity without human rights. 

The Pact’s annex, the Declaration for Future Generations reminds us that children and young people, including those yet to be born, are rights-holders whose needs must guide the decisions we make today.

This brings us to the heart of today’s forum: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in human history.

But around the world, children’s rights are under pressure.

Conflicts, displacement, widening inequalities, and the climate crisis put millions at risk.

Digital spaces that promised opportunity…now expose children to exploitation and harm.

Too many still lack access to education, nutrition, protection, and participation.

Children are not passive recipients of policy. They are rights-holders, with agency and dignity. They are watching us, and their futures depend on our choices.

This year marks 30 years since Malaysia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, alongside longstanding commitments to gender equality and disability inclusion. 

These milestones reflect the nation’s aspiration to build a high-income, inclusive, rights-based society, as outlined in Malaysia MADANI and the 13th Malaysia Plan.

Malaysia has made meaningful progress.

First, the country has strengthened its legal and institutional framework for child protection. 

Amendments to the Evidence of Child Witness Act improve access to justice for young victims and reduce secondary trauma. 

The SUHAKAM Amendment Act establishes dedicated Children’s Commissioners for independent oversight. 

The Online Safety Act introduces critical protections against grooming, exploitation, cyberbullying, and harmful content. 

And the Anti-Bullying Bill offers a framework to address bullying in schools and institutions.

Malaysia has also reinforced parliamentary oversight through the Parliamentary Service Act amendments and introduced new channels for children’s voices, including the Parliamentary Select Committee’s first-ever children’s townhall in 2025.

Second, socio-economic reforms have strengthened child development. 

Under Budget 2025, expanded household cash transfers and higher child allowances are easing pressures on low-income families. 

These are important steps…but significant challenges remain.

Too many children still fall through the cracks…

children in alternative care

in indigenous and remote communities

children with disabilities

stateless and undocumented children

and those from migrant and refugee families who often lack legal identity and access to essential services, including health and education.

Violence, neglect, and discrimination persist.

Child participation remains limited.

Juvenile justice reforms are incomplete.

And digital threats are evolving faster than our response.

These gaps reveal where institutions must be strengthened, where coordination must be improved, and where accountability must be deepened.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As we mark Human Rights Day, let us renew the core promise of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: that every child has the right to protection, development, participation, and non-discrimination...

…without exception and without delay.

Delivering on this promise requires three shifts.

First, stronger institutional cooperation. 

No single ministry or agency can protect children’s rights alone. 

Progress requires coordinated government action; independent oversight by SUHAKAM; checks and balances by Parliament; close partnership with civil society; and meaningful engagement with children. 

Data systems must be strengthened to measure progress and guide reforms.

Second, meaningful child participation. 

Children must have a real voice in decisions that shape their lives, from climate action to digital governance, from school safety to social protection. 

Participation is a right, not a favour; and policies are stronger when shaped with children, not just for them.

Third, investment. 

Public financing for early childhood development, inclusive education, health, nutrition, and social protection is not a cost, it is one of the highest-yield investments a country can make.

A ringgit spent on a child today returns decades of social and economic progress.

Malaysia stands at a pivotal moment.

Reforms are accelerating.

Institutions are strengthening.

And engagement with international human rights mechanisms including treaty bodies and global reporting processes continues.

In this context, the upcoming review under the Convention on the Rights of the Child is more than a reporting obligation. 

It is an opportunity for honest reflection, renewed commitment, and transformative action.

The United Nations stands firmly beside Malaysia on this journey. 

Across child protection, data systems, legislative reform, disability inclusion, gender equality, safe and orderly migration, climate action, and digital safety…

…we remain a committed partner.

This commitment is reflected among others, in UNICEF’s national campaign, #JanjiKita or Our Promise.

It calls on every part of society, from Parliament to parents, from communities to children to ensure that every child is seen, heard, and protected.

It is also reflected in the UN’s Cooperation Framework with Malaysia, and our joint work through the Malaysia–UN SDG Trust Fund.

The Trust Fund supports programmes that strengthen early childhood education in indigenous communities, improve learning outcomes for children living in PPR flats and students with learning disabilities, and ensure that vulnerable children have access to healthcare, water and sanitation, and environments that enable them to thrive.

These initiatives reflect a simple principle: every child, regardless of ethnicity, legal status, or location, has the right to learn, to be protected, and to be supported.

When we put children at the centre, we do more than fulfil a treaty obligation. We build a Malaysia that is safer, fairer, and more resilient for all.

Allow me to close with this:

Human rights are not abstractions.

They are lived or denied in daily life:

in the safety of a home,

in fairness in a classroom,

in justice in a courtroom,

in dignity in a clinic,

and in the recognition granted by a birth certificate.

Our task is simple but profound…

…to close the gap between the rights we proclaim and the realities children experience.

If we succeed, we honour not only the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but the hopes of an entire generation.

Remember our promise.

Ingat janji kita.

Thank you.