Kuala lumpur: Malaysia is at the forefront of establishing a World Halal Development Council (WHDC), a new global platform designed to coordinate trade, investment, and innovation within the halal economy, announced Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the Malaysian Halal Industry Development Council, stated that the WHDC would start with a selectively small yet strategically significant membership. This initiative aims to accelerate capacity-building, research, and development, while delivering a measurable economic impact. The council is envisioned to form a coalition that is both dynamic and market-oriented.
Ahmad Zahid, in a speech at the Global Halal Summit 2025 Grand Dinner, highlighted Malaysia’s proposal for Halal+ 2030. This global movement seeks to integrate halal with environmental, social, and governance trends, and ethical consumer practices. The initiative aims to enhance digital halal capabilities through artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things for comprehensive traceability.
The proposed Halal+ 2030 also aims to bundle halal offerings across various sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, travel, and fashion. It further seeks to cultivate future leaders through technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and international training. Ahmad Zahid called for expertise, investment, and ideas to ensure halal is not only certified but also dignified and respected.
Malaysia identifies key opportunities for urgent collaboration, particularly in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Upgrade Pathways. This aims to create streamlined and expedited pathways for certification. Ahmad Zahid emphasized the necessity to expand recognized certification bodies and move towards official mutual recognition across countries to make halal seamless for both exporters and consumers.
Both WHDC and Halal+ 2030 reflect that the halal economy transcends market and profit concerns, encompassing diplomacy, influence, and leadership as well. Ahmad Zahid noted that Malaysia aims to demonstrate how a Muslim nation can maintain Shariah principles while engaging in a modern global economy. Over the years, halal has emerged as one of Malaysia’s significant forms of soft power, with its certification, Islamic finance, halal education, and tourism building credibility and trust globally.
The global halal economy, currently valued over USD3 trillion, is projected to reach USD5 trillion by 2030, covering sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism, logistics, finance, and the digital economy. For Malaysia, halal represents a crucial economic pillar, contributing 7.5 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) today, with expectations to increase to 11 per cent by 2030, equating to a domestic value of USD113 billion.
Malaysia’s halal exports currently amount to approximately USD8 billion annually, representing over five per cent of national exports. Last year, exports reached USD13.1 billion, marking a 15 per cent increase from the previous year. Under the 13th Malaysia Plan, the MADANI government aims to elevate this to USD17 billion, positioning halal as a cornerstone of GDP growth.