Lord Zac Goldsmith, FCDO Minister for the Pacific and International Environment, signed a new partnership with Malaysian Environment and Water Minister Dato Sri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man today (7 June) to strengthen climate action cooperation.
The ‘UK-Malaysia Climate Partnership’ will see the two countries collaborate to increase climate and biodiversity action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by sharing knowledge and technical expertise in order to build capacity and ambition.
Collaboration on climate and biodiversity issues, knowledge sharing, promoting scientific and technical collaboration, supporting private sector involvement, and promoting outreach activities are all covered by the Partnership.
Following the signing of a new bilateral Strategic Partnership in November 2021, the Partnership will strengthen ties between the UK and Malaysia.
Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and the International Environment, said:
“Action to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss requires commitment and collaboration. The UK-Malaysia Climate Partnership marks an important step in building on the progress made at COP26, and will further deepen the strong ties and knowledge-sharing between our countries to address this global challenge.”
“Malaysia has taken significant action on clean growth, sustainable urbanisation, green finance, forest and biodiversity protection, supply chains and carbon markets, and by continuing to share our experiences and expertise we can work together to limit carbon emissions and protect precious natural ecosystems.”
Malaysia, which has around 54 percent forest cover and some of the world’s oldest and most biodiverse forests, signed the Global Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the Global Methane Pledge, the FACT Dialogue Roadmap for Action, and the Global Action Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture at COP26 in Glasgow last year (ClimateShot).
The UK is delivering a number of projects in Malaysia that are making a tangible difference, such as strengthening nature-based solutions in Terengganu’s forested state, supporting low-carbon city planning in Iskandar, promoting sustainable urbanisation in Kuala Lumpur, renewable energy generation in off-grid villages in Sabah, and mobilizing green finance by collaborating with Malaysian financial institutions such as the Central Bank (Bank Negara Malaysia).
The UK also pledged fresh help for Southeast Asian countries, including as Malaysia, at COP26. The £110 million ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility will promote new sustainable infrastructure projects, while the £274 million Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) fund will boost climate adaption across the Indo-Pacific.