Kuala lumpur: ASEAN can set the benchmark for sustainable growth in the Global South if policies, businesses, and people are aligned towards a low-carbon future, said the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. He emphasized that with ASEAN projected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030, the region must be proactive in climate leadership, due to its vulnerability to climate risks, notably its extensive 173,000-kilometre coastline.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Tengku Zafrul highlighted Malaysia’s initiatives under its ASEAN Chairmanship to make sustainability a collective and financially viable goal. Speaking at the Economic and Leadership Forum (ELF), he outlined Malaysia’s vision of transforming ASEAN into a global hub for green investment and technology. The initiatives championed include sustainable investments, green financing, an ASEAN Electric Vehicles roadmap, and green transition strategies for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Tengku
Zafrul expressed hope that these priorities would translate into domestic policies to reduce investor risk, accelerate technology adoption, and ensure sustainability generates viable returns. He stressed the importance of ASEAN and Malaysia being frontrunners in the green transition to secure leadership and attract capital in sustainable investments, manufacturing, and trade.

As ASEAN chair, Malaysia is advocating for a stronger, unified stance on climate action among member states. The government is committed to leading the sustainability agenda through the Guidelines for Implementing ASEAN Sustainable Initiatives (GPPIAL) and is preparing to table the National Climate Change Bill this year, guided by the National Climate Change Policy 2.0.

The ELF Forum is hosted annually by the London School of Economics Student Union (LSESU) Malaysia Club, fostering discussion on real-world issues from a Malaysian perspective among youths. Sunway Education Group CEO, Professor Datuk Elizabeth Lee, remarked that the foru
m’s theme, “ASEAN Business Policy: What’s The Sustainability Blueprint,” is timely as the region faces an intensifying climate crisis impacting both the environment and local communities. She emphasized the necessity of shaping national policies and regional cooperation with scientific evidence, environmental urgency, political will, and institutional capacity.