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Kuala Lumpur, 18 November: Strong governance frameworks, political commitment and cross-sectoral collaboration are integral to tackling the pressing challenges facing cities today – from urban climate adaptation to inclusive development, said leading decision-makers at the Cities: Possibilities 2025 – Malaysia forum held in Kuala Lumpur. Y.B. Tuan Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Housing and Local Government of Malaysia (KPKT), who was guest-of-honour at the forum, highlighted Malaysia’s “triple housing challenge” – addressing a backlog of inadequate housing, meeting future demand and strengthening urban resilience against evolving climate risks. Nga, who is also President of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Assembly, said his ministry is “institutionalising this urban-climate link globally to secure a political mandate for multilevel governance, empowering cities as key actors.” He further shared Malaysia’s plan to elevate the Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN) to a ministerial-level forum by 2026. ASCN is a collaborative platform to pursue smart and sustainable urban development in cities across the Asean member states, with the primary goal of improving the lives of citizens through enabling technology. Domestically, Malaysia’s Urban Renewal Act aims to rebuild ageing infrastructure and promote inclusive development, while the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework fosters a sustainable circular economy to minimise waste – a urgent challenge for urban centres in Malaysia and globally. Nga said a “whole-of-nation approach” is essential to realising these goals, including on climate adaptation. “KPKT is now in lock-step collaboration across the federal government, for example, with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, to work on nature-based solutions for flood control nationwide,” he said during his keynote address. H.E. Jacques Werner, Ambassador for the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia, commended the collaborative efforts in the closing address, highlighting the recent launch of the Asean–Netherlands Development Partnership on Climate Change, Environment and Water. He detailed the partnership’s first programme in Kuala Lumpur—a two-day cross-learning event on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation—facilitating knowledge exchange between Dutch and Asean experts. The insights gained were also shared during the ongoing COP30 negotiations in Bélem, Brazil. Themed “Building future-ready cities”, the maiden Malaysian edition of Cities: Possibilities convened over 120 decision-makers across government, urban planning, finance, industry and academia, and was organised by Eco-Business in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Asuene, ESGpedia and Airbnb were supporting partners for the forum. Edward Vrkić, Resident Representative to UNDP Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, said urban planning requires foresight that responds to climate change, shifting demographics and technological disruption, while focusing on the well-being of all people. “Urban planning requires far more than investing in infrastructure. Today, urban planning requires us to consider what cities need to ensure people are able to live productive, safe and fulfilled lives. Good urban design facilities growth and opportunity for all. This requires citizens participating more in decision-making and that governments anticipate change, respond with agility and adapt to broader social and economic challenges and opportunities,” he said. Meaghan See, Chief Commercial Officer for Eco-Business, said Malaysia’s steering of the Asean chairmanship and its leadership at UN-Habitat offer “a powerful example of how cooperation, not competition, can unlock solutions greater than the sum of their parts” against a backdrop of strained geopolitics. “Under Malaysia’s chairmanship, the Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting in October last month endorsed the Enhanced Asean Power Grid (APG) Memorandum of Understanding, the Asean Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 2026–2030 and the APG Financing Initiative, representing bold steps towards achieving a fully interconnected regional grid by 2045 and which will support sustainable urban regional growth,” she said. Cities: Possibilities will also be hosting its flagship Singapore edition on 26 November 2025 at Resorts World Sentosa, Equarius Hotel, convening key ecosystem leaders to forge powerful alliances and share breakthrough strategies to accelerate the transition to a sustainable urban future. Find out more and register at our Cities: Possibilities 2025 – Singapore website. |
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Note to Editors For enquiries or photos, please contact: Mark Rao, Eco-Business About Eco-Business Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacific’s leading media and advisory platform dedicated to sustainable development. It publishes high quality, trusted content that advances dialogue and enables measurable impact on a wide range of sustainable development and responsible business issues. Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore, with a presence in Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and correspondents across major cities in Asia Pacific. Visit www.eco-business.com. About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) As the lead United Nations agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries develop policies, leadership skills, partnerships and institutional capabilities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is centred around six core development areas, known as our signature solutions: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy and gender equality. Visit https://www.undp.org/ About Cities: Possibilities Cities: Possibilities is a premiere sustainable cities event organised by Eco-Business that convenes high-level decision makers from the building, finance, and infrastructure sectors, policymakers, academics and civil society to discuss the latest developments in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 11 – creating sustainable cities and communities. Visit https://www. |
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