05/07/2025

SATURDAY | JULY 5, 2025

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Call for joint action to advance global green economy

Conference on boosting unity

to be held in October

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Unity Ministry will organise a Nation Building Conference in October to further strengthen unity among Malaysians. Its minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the conference would pave the way for a new direction through the development of a nation building action plan as part of a comprehensive initiative to reinforce the foundations of national unity. “At present, we have yet to finalise things. We may invite neighbouring countries. But I see historical value in this. So, we will invite historians, professors from relevant fields to present papers for discussion at the conference,” he said after appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled “National-Level Unity Week 2025 celebration”. Aaron said the National-Level Unity Week 2025 celebration, to be held over four days from July 17 at Batu Kawan Stadium in Penang, is expected to serve as a platform for fostering unity among visitors through participation in a variety of activities. “Many events are planned, including a unity walk. There will also be various sales and cultural activities lasting into the night, longhouse themed activities and performances by diverse and unique ethnic groups.” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate at the celebration on July 19. It will feature several main segments reflecting the diversity and uniqueness of Malaysia’s ethnic groups. The main segments include an exhibition of 24 ethnic houses such as Siam, Chetti, Kerinci, Melayu Brunei, Baba Nyonya, Kedayan, Penan and Bisaya , as well as a historical timeline exhibition by the Museums Department and the National Archives. Also featured will be a Kadazan Dusun and Orang Asli village showcase. – Bernama ‘Reconsider visa exemptions for Malaysians’ KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has requested his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney to reconsider visa exemptions for Malaysians. Malaysian citizens will need visas for trips to Canada as a tourist, to study or to work. “This is in line with the treatment given to other Commonwealth countries to strengthen people-to people ties and expand multilateral exchanges,” he said in a post on X. Anwar, who is currently on an official visit to Paris, contacted Carney to congratulate him on the Liberal Party’s victory in the recent Canadian election, Bernama reported. Canada visa fees for Malaysians include a fee to the Canadian government, a biometric fee and additional fees for service from VFS Global, the third-party administrator for Canada visas in Malaysia.

sustainable development that delivers real-world benefits like job creation and inclusive economic growth, especially in rural areas. “Unido has a vital role in this transformation, particularly in the circular economy, green manufacturing and agro-industries. The time to act is now. We must create jobs, empower local councils and ensure that our progress is built on innovation and measurable results.” A joint agreement to reactivate the MoU signed between Unido and UN-Habitat in 2017, with renewed focus on climate-resilient development and rural council empowerment was taken at the meeting. Nga, accompanied by Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Malaysia’s Ambassador to Austria and Slovakia Ikram Mohammad Ibrahim, also paid a courtesy call on

the Lord Mayor of Vienna Dr Michael Ludwig. Nga congratulated Ludwig on his re-election and commended Vienna’s achievement of being named the world’s most liveable city for three consecutive years, a feat he attributed to strong leadership and smart urban planning. “Vienna’s urban success story proves that with vision and good governance, heritage and innovation can thrive side by side. “As UN-Habitat Assembly president, I look forward to bringing these insights home and inspiring transformative change,” said Nga. During the 14th Mayors Forum at the WCS 2025 in Vienna, Austria on Thursday, Nga called for stronger international collaboration anchored in local action, emphasising that city-to-city cooperation must move beyond dialogue and translate into concrete, results-driven partnerships with clear timelines. “We must institutionalise knowledge-sharing and back our intentions with innovation funding, technical hubs and measurable outcomes.” Nga proposed three key mechanisms for this, including joint innovation funds for shared urban challenges, regional hubs to address common issues and standardised metrics to track citywide progress globally. He said these strategies are drawn from Malaysia’s own experience and supported by platforms such as the Malaysia SDG Cities Roadmap, Asean Smart Cities Network and the Asia-Pacific New Urban Agenda Platform to encourage knowledge sharing and scalable solutions. Highlighting global best practices, Nga cited transformative urban innovations such as Barcelona’s Superblocks, Yokohama’s Zero Waste policy and Curitiba’s Bus Rapid Transit system. Following his visit to Seestadt Aspern, Vienna’s flagship smart district, Nga praised the city’s long term planning, heritage preservation and people-centric design. Anwar is on an official visit to France at the invitation of Macron. He is scheduled to hold a one-on one meeting with Macron at the Elysee Palace, with key agenda items including trade, investment, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence, education, digital economy and artificial intelligence. France remains one of Malaysia’s top five trading partners within the European Union. In 2024, bilateral trade totalled RM15.95 billion, with RM6.26 billion recorded between January and May this year.

o UN-Habitat Assembly president Nga Kor Ming proposes establishment of shared sustainability standards with Unido

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Summit (WCS) 2025. Nga, who is also Housing and Local Government minister, said guidelines would be developed under a partnership between UN Habitat and Unido, with each organisation playing a distinct role. “Under this framework, UN Habitat will advocate the adoption of green building standards among local councils globally, while Unido will act as the accrediting body for qualifying industrial buildings.” The goal is to cut emissions from industrial developments and promote low-carbon industrial parks worldwide. Nga emphasised the need for

PETALING UN-Habitat Assembly president Nga Kor Ming has called for bold, collaborative action to advance the global green economy, including joint international guidelines for green industrial buildings. His proposal during a bilateral meeting in Vienna recently with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) director-general Gerd Muller seeks to establish shared sustainability standards ahead of the World Cities JAYA:

Nga with Muller at the bilateral meeting in Vienna recently. – PIC COURTESY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MINISTRY

Malaysia to benefit from ties with France, says PM

PARIS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed hope that continuous engagement with France will benefit Malaysia in the long run. He said the matter would be discussed during his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. “We will find ways to explore this. In fact, we have expanded our ties over the years from not only buying products such as planes but also supplying parts for their manufacturing.” Speaking at a gathering with the

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. Anwar said Malaysian students studying in France should take advantage of the growing number of high-tech industries back home and return after completing their studies, Bernama reported.

Malaysian in conjunction with his two-day visit to France, Anwar said Malaysia continues to be a top destination for high-tech industries such as electrical and electronics. “In the past, we bought a lot of planes from Airbus and Boeing. Now we have companies producing parts for these plane manufacturers in Malaysia.” Also present were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security diaspora here