OPENING REMARKS BY H.E. DATO' SRI ROHANI ABDUL KARIM MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRESIDENT OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL ...

OPENING REMARKS

                  BY

  H.E. DATO’ SRI ROHANI ABDUL KARIM

          MINISTER OF WOMEN,
  FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
                   &
 PRESIDENT OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL
COUNCIL (IGC) OF MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL
    TRANSFORMATIONS PROGRAMME

                  AT

   HI-TEA FOR MANAGEMENT OF SOCIAL
 TRANSFORMATIONS (MOST) PROGRAMME

       PULLMAN KUALA LUMPUR

           3.30 pm - 5.00 pm

       20 JULY 2017 (THURSDAY)

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[Salutation]

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh and very good afternoon
to all.

1.   Thank you very much for coming to this Hi-Tea and I would like to
     wish everyone a warm Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It is indeed
     very timely to have this Hi-Tea during this joyous celebration as
     both Eid and the United Nation’s Management of Social
     Transformations Programme (MOST) spread the same messages.

2.   Eid is not all about feasting or merry-making. It is a time for
     remembrance – remembering those who have contributed to the
     society, remembering those who are in needs and those we love. It
     is also a time for reflection after a month-long fasting in Ramadan
     – reflection on ourselves, our society and our nation. Most
     important of all, it spreads messages of mutual respect, equity,
     love, peace, tolerance and universal understanding. These values
     are upheld in all of the UN’s programmes including MOST.

3.   I believe all of us gather here today with the same objective – to
     promote inclusiveness and to further enhance and mobilise the
     social and human science in promoting evidence-informed
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decision-making to achieve Agenda 2030 and some of its more
     specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to leave no one
     behind.

4.   I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your countries
     for your cooperation and continuous support for the MOST
     Programme during my Presidency in the 2015 to 2017 term.

5.   Malaysia and UNESCO have a long relationship in cooperation. In
     2009, the Malaysia-UNESCO Cooperation Programme (MUCP)
     was launched by our Honourable Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib
     Tun Razak, who announced at the 35th General Conference of
     UNESCO, the establishment of Malaysian Cooperative Trust Fund
     which will contribute to “enhance South-South Cooperation for
     capacity building in education, science and culture for the benefit
     of the Least Developed Countries, Small Island States in Asia and
     the Pacific and in support of the Priority Africa agenda of
     UNESCO.”

6.   Under the MUCP, the Government of Malaysia and UNESCO
     signed a Funds-in-Trust (MFIT) Agreement on Friday 5 April 2013.
     Since the signing of the MFIT agreement in, 20 projects have been
     funded in the region, covering the areas of education, skills
     development,    disaster   risk   management       and   knowledge
     generation.

7.   One particular project that was implemented by my ministry – the
     Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is the

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“Strengthening ASEAN Community 2015 through South-South
      Cooperation, Foresight and Capacity-Building on Inclusive Policy
      Development”, which will end this year. The overall objective of the
      project is to strengthen national capacities to access and reform
      social policy and regulatory frameworks to increase their
      inclusiveness and ensure the equal enjoyment of human rights by
      all, including the disadvantaged and vulnerable segments of
      population.

8.    The outcome of this project was showcased in the Senior Official’s
      Meeting and the Ministerial Forum of MOST. Under my Presidency
      of the IGC MOST, the first MOST Regional Forum of Ministers of
      Social Development for the Asia-Pacific countries was held in
      Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 22 to 23 March 2017. This Forum was
      preceded by three other meetings namely the MOST IGC Bureau,
      the IGC of MOST and the Senior Officials Meeting of MOST.

9.    The Ministerial Forum provided a platform for dialogue amongst
      the regional ministers to share experiences and to harmonize
      policies and approaches to achieve national priorities. An outcome
      document was adopted at the Forum as commitment for Asia
      Pacific countries who attended the Forum to develop initiatives for
      social transformation as discussed during the Forum.

10.   Moving forward, Malaysia will continue to further mobilise the
      social and human sciences through the MOST Programme to
      strengthen existing ties and support member states more
      effectively in the context-specific design and implementation of

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public policies for social development and to strengthen capacities,
      in line with the MOST Action Plan, 2016-2021. These include
      initiatives to set up the MOST National Committee, the MOST
      School and the Inclusive Policy Lab.

11.   Malaysia’s contribution to the MOST programme reflects our
      overall commitment in national, regional and international levels in
      achieving the SDGs to reduce various forms of discrimination,
      enhance inclusivity in society and economy for all populations in
      Malaysia. Other platforms that the Ministry has contributed to and
      will continue to contribute to include the ASEAN Ministerial
      Meeting on Women, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare
      and    Development,     Asia        Pacific   Economic     Cooperation,
      Organisation of Islamic Countries, the Commonwealth and High
      Level Meetig on South-South Cooperation.

12.   I urge other member states of IGC MOST and each and every one
      of you in this room to join and support Malaysia in contributing to
      the visibility of the MOST Forum and also in the effort to build a
      sustainable and inclusive world. I hope you too will continue to
      support my Presidency of IGC MOST in the next term.

13.   Thank you again for coming and Selamat Hari Raya. Please enjoy
      this Hi-Tea.

Wabillahi   Taufiq   Walhidayah      Wasalammualaikum          Warahmatullahi
Wabarakatuh.

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