STATEMENT BY
H.E. DATO’ DR. SHAMSUL ANUAR NASARAH
MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, MALAYSIA
LEADERS DIALOGUE 2 - BIODIVERSITY SUMMIT
HARNESSING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, CAPACITY BUILDING, ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING, FINANCING AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR BIODIVERSITY
NEW YORK, 30 SEPTEMBER 2020
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the United Nations General Assembly for providing me the opportunity to deliver this message on behalf of Malaysia.
Malaysia is one of the 17 recognized megadiverse countries, which together host more than 70 percent of the world’s biodiversity. As a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Malaysia has been consistent in fulfilling our obligations through National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025 and to report the progress of its implementation through Malaysia’s Sixth National Report to the CBD.
The National Policy on Biological Diversity has emphasized that Malaysian biodiversity is a shared heritage and hence a shared responsibility. In that spirit, Malaysia has empowered multiple non-government actors including indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), NGOs, academics and the private sector to take part in the conservation of biodiversity through strategic partnerships.
Further, believing in the spirit of the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Malaysia passed the Access to Biological Resource and Benefit Sharing Act 2017 and successfully acceded to the Nagoya Protocol in 2018. Malaysia has piloted a project on ABS in 2019 that has successfully improved livelihood of the indigenous communities. At present, we are also in the process of establishing the Malaysian Biodiversity Centre (MBC) which will reflect our commitment towards strengthening biodiversity management in Malaysia.
In line with current needs, science, technology and innovation have continued to play a significant role in improving biodiversity management. In this view, Malaysia will further strengthen research and development efforts to advance conservation through sustainable forest management, biotechnology, composite materials and remote sensing techniques. Such initiatives must be supported by the United Nations through financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building.
As for financing, the government of Malaysia has made funds for conservation available through the National Conservation Trust Fund (NCTF), matching grants with the private sector and small grants to indigenous conservation projects. In 2019, Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation (EFT) has been introduced to incentivize State governments to intensify efforts to protect and expand existing natural forest reserves and protected areas. We are also exploring the diversification of funding sources with the development of the REDD Plus Finance Framework, Forest Conservation Certificates and Forest Carbon Offsets.
2020 has been a challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic, a zoonotic disease, has caused many nations to bear a socioeconomic brunt. While Malaysia is also one of the countries affected, I hope we can take this as an opportunity to reexamine our relationship with nature.
On a concluding note, I’m optimistic about the future beyond 2020. Let us strive towards achieving the overall goal of nations living in harmony with nature by 2030. Biodiversity is our life, our heritage and our future.
Thank you.