The UN's Pact for the Future offers hope of addressing urgent global issues, but it requires bold leadership – particularly from nations like Malaysia, which is assuming the Asean chair next year. — Filepic/Straits Times/Asia News Network
AS the world faces unprecedented challenges – from climate change to inequality – the United Nations’ Pact for the Future, approved two weeks ago by the UN General Assembly (the bit of the UN where all countries have a seat at the table), is a critical roadmap for global action.
This Pact outlines 56 key actions that could, with sufficient political will and common sense, shape international collaboration for decades. At its heart lies an urgent call to ensure human dignity, eradicate poverty, restore the planet, and foster peace.
As Malaysia prepares to chair Asean in 2025, with the imminent release of the Asean Community Vision 2045 and the finalisation of our National Planetary Health Action Plan – the first globally – an exciting opportunity is open to our diplomats and politicians to pursue an approach that protects both people and the planet.
The Pact was introduced at the UN in response to multiple existential crises facing humanity. It offers a framework built on the principles of sustainable development, human rights, and social equity.
The key areas of action include eradicating poverty, addressing climate change, ensuring gender equality, fostering innovation, and reforming global governance. These are not aspirational goals, they are necessary steps to secure a world where everyone can thrive.
For Malaysia, the relevance of the Pact aligns with our own development path. We have made some progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but many remain at risk of not being met due to economic, environmental, and social pressures. The Pact renews the urgency to tackle these challenges head-on, placing human dignity and planetary health at the centre. And Malay-sia’s development of the National Plane-tary Health Action Plan (NPHAP) demonstrates our readiness to lead by example.
The NPHAP has the potential to become a turning point not just for Malaysia, but also for regional and global environmental and public health governance. As regular readers of this column know, planetary health links the wellbeing of human societies with the health of Earth’s natural systems. It recognises that human health cannot be sustained in a world where ecosystems are degraded, biodiversity is lost, and the effects of the climate crisis are rampant.
Malaysia’s pioneering work positions it at the forefront of this essential global conversation.
The planetary health approach is not simply environmentalism; it is the recognition that human health and sustainability are inseparable. Actions to mitigate climate change, reduce pollution, and restore ecosystems directly reduce disease burdens, improve food security, and enhance human wellbeing.
This holistic framework is not just applicable within Malaysia’s borders but offers a model for how Asean, under Malaysia’s 2025 chairmanship, could address the region’s interconnected challenges.
As Asean chair 2025, Malaysia will play a crucial role in shaping the regional agenda. The forthcoming Asean Community Vision 2045 provides an ideal platform for Malaysia to integrate planetary health principles into policy, ensuring human and ecological wellbeing are prioritised.
Several key areas for collaboration and action stand out:
Climate resilience for human and environmental wellbeing: As Asean faces intensifying climate change impacts, these shocks affect human health through food insecurity, water scarcity, and displacement. A joined-up regional approach focused on ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy will not only protect natural resources but also reduce vulnerabilities to climate-induced diseases, ensuring access to safe water and food.
Public health and pollution control – protecting people and the planet: Pollution is a leading cause of death in South-East Asia, contributing to a surge in noncommunicable diseases like asthma, cardiovascular conditions, and cancers. By driving regional initiatives to reduce industrial emissions, improve waste management, and regulate pollutants, Malaysia can protect the health of millions while restoring degraded ecosystems. Stricter pollution controls across Asean are critical in achieving these dual benefits.
Food security through sustainable agricultural practices: Agriculture is both a driver of environmental degradation and a victim of climate change. Unsustainable practices lead to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and increased carbon emissions, threatening nutrition and food security. Advocating for climate-smart agricultural techniques will restore soil health, conserve biodiversity, and lower emissions, ensuring a resilient food supply for Asean’s growing population.
Youth and innovation as drivers of a healthy future: The future of Asean depends on its youth, who are increasingly aware of the intertwined crises of environmental degradation and public health. Malaysia can empower young people to develop innovative solutions in sustainable development, from clean energy technologies to biodiversity conservation projects. By investing in youth-led innovations that prioritise planetary health, Malaysia will foster a generation of leaders dedicated to securing the wellbeing of all inhabitants.
Malaysia’s leadership in Asean coincides comes at a critical moment. The SDGs are at risk, and many global systems, from healthcare to economics, need urgent reform. Without finding a new way forward that respects the health of the planet, we are in trouble. The Pact for the Future provides a roadmap for addressing these issues, but it requires bold leadership –particularly from nations like Malaysia.
The Pact is not just another international agreement; it is a call to action for humanity. For Malaysia, this is a unique moment to lead by example, particularly as we prepare to chair Asean in 2025. The finalisation of the world’s first National Planetary Health Action Plan demonstrates our readiness to adopt a transformative approach. By embedding these principles into the Asean 2045 Vision, Malaysia can ensure a healthier, more equitable, and resilient future for the region and the world.
Dr Jemilah Mahmood, a physician and experienced crisis leader, is the executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University. She is the founder of Mercy Malaysia and has served in leadership roles internationally with the United Nations and Red Cross for the last decade. She writes on Planetary Health Matters once a month in Ecowatch. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
