SDGS & MALAYSIA – CIVIL SOCIETY REFLECTIONS

Side Event @ the 2017

High Level Political Forum- UN New York

Date:	Tuesday, 18 July, 2017
Time:	9:30am to 11am
Venue:	Baha'i International Community, United Nations Plaza : 866 New York,

NY 10017 Suite 120 (1st Ave and 48th St.) New York Map

Brief write up of the discussion

Malaysia is one of the 44 countries participating in the 2017 National Voluntary Review at the SDG High Level Political Forum in New York in July 17-19, 2017. Malaysia has had an impressive track record in poverty eradication and socio-economic development since independence in August 31, 1957 

At this side event hosted by the Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance who is a member of the Asian Development Alliance (ADA), we aim to provide a CSO perspective in the implementation of SDGs in Malaysia. Malaysian CSOs have formed an Alliance bringing together CSOs involved in development work, human rights activism and environmental concerns. We have had public discussions and networking since Oct 2015 on SDG related matters. We have networked with the Malaysian government and participated in the two national SDG symposiums in 2016 and have been appointed as members on the National SDG Steering Committee hosted by the Economic Planning Unit, Government of Malaysia. We have been active in providing feedback and inputs to the preparation of the National Voluntary Report as well as in the preparation of the Malaysian SDG National Roadmap.

In this New York side event we will review the Malaysian National Voluntary Review Report and discuss the achievements, challenges and way forward for the SDG implementation in Malaysia. We will note the current gaps and also highlight the role civil society is playing to complement the government as well as holding the government accountable to the SDG goals, targets and indicators.

Malaysian NVR                                                        -

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/15881Malaysia.pdf

PANEL OF SPEAKERS:

Opening Comments

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria (Co Chair of the Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance)  who will also moderate the Panel.

Dato Yogesvaran Deputy Director General, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department, Government of Malaysia

Dr Katinka Weinberger (UN ESCAP)

Comments from Malaysian CSOs

Mr Rizal Rozhan (Empower Malaysia)

Ms Chee Yoke Lin (Third World Network)

Ms Lakshmi Lavanya Rama Iyer (WWF Malaysia)

Mr Atama Katama (PACOS Malaysia)

Mr Alizan Mahadi (Global Environmental System Leaders Research Assistant, Keio University, Japan)

Comments from UN & Regional Organisations

Ms Hannie Meesters (UNDP)

Ms Wardarina, Co Chair Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (AP-RCEM)

Dr Jyotsna Mohan, Regional Coordinator, Asia Development Alliance (ADA)

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Participation by registration. Security at the venue building require full name submission as per ID two days before. You must register by July 15 please. Limited spaces available so please register early.For registration & further details contact: denisonjayasooria@gmail.com Mobile (Malaysian) for text or whatsapp +6019 381 0914. USA mobile number 562-682-8838 (from July 5 to 20, 2017) 

FROM NEW YORK - MALAYSIA REPORTING AT THE UN & CSO HOSTING A REVIEW DISCUSSION ON SDGs

Press Release

By Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria Co Chair, Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance

The High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2017 is currently ongoing at the United National in New York since July 10, 2017. From Monday July 17 to Wednesday 19, 2017 is the Ministerial session. Malaysia is one among 44 countries that is presenting a country report on the progress made in the implementation of the SDGs and future plans.

The presentation of Voluntary National Reviews was agreed upon by all the governments when the General Assembly in September 2015 collectively agreed to the 2030 SDG Global transformational agenda. They all agreed to share their best practices.

For 2017 the UN is undertaking the reviews based on the theme "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world" and a focus is on SDG 1,2,3,5,9,14 and 17 of the seventeen SDGs.

Dato' Haji Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the EPU Minister is representing the Malaysian government at the 2017 HLPF and two senior EPU officials are already here in New York namely Dato Yogeswaran and Mr Abdul Halim Abdul Aziz.

The Malaysian report is an 82 page document. It provides a comprehensive overview of the Malaysian achievements in poverty eradication, the aligning of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan and the SDGs as well as noting some of the challenges and the way forward over the next few years till 2030.

This report will be presented and discussed on July 17, 2017 at 5.30pm (New York time) which is 5.30am Malaysian time on July 18, 2017. Malaysian CSOs will have an opportunity to make a statement and ask a question.

Malaysia CSO Side event

Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance is organising a discussion on the Malaysian VNR on July 18, 2017 at 9.30am (Malaysian time at 9.30pm on July 18, 2017 at the Baha'i International Community, United Nations Plaza, New York. 

We have confirmation that the EPU, UN ESCAP and UNDP will participate in this program. From the CSO community there are six representatives here attending the 2017 HLPF and they have all agreed to be on the panel. They are Mr Rizal Rozhan (Empower Malaysia), Ms Chee Yoke Lin (Third World Network), Ms Lakshmi Lavanya Rama Iyer (WWF Malaysia), Mr Atama Katama (PACOS Malaysia), Mr Alizan Mahadi (Global Environmental System Leaders Research Assistant, Keio University, Japan) & Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria (Alliance). They will share their reviews on the Malaysian VNR report.

Among those who have registered to participate are Ms Christina Chelliah the former Miss Malaysia Universe 2002 (1st Runner Up) and Miss Malaysia Tourism World 2002 who now lives in New York with her husband Chris Murphy. Another Malaysian New Yorker who is attending is Mr Ray Tan, the Founder & President of the New York Malaysian Association.

For the Alliance this is a very significant event as our CSO review is also being done at the UN stage in New York. This provide a global review and in the spirt of the SDGs civil society is a key partner in the full realisation of the SDGs. While Malaysian CSOs are appreciative of the networking with the government on SDGs but they have some major concerns with the report which they feel need to be highlighted so as to address the gaps and challenges effectively over the next few years.

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Useful web linkages:-

The Malaysian VNR report is posted on the UN website. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/15881Malaysia.pdf

You can watch the Malaysian country report presentation, live on the UN website on July 18, 2017 at 5.30am. http://webtv.un.org/

We are trying to organise a skype casting of the CSO discussion too and Rizal of Empower is seeking to make some arrangements on this.

July 15, 2017 from New York