Johor Bahru, 18th November 2023 — The Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW) 2023, which concluded on Friday, 17th November 2023, marked a pivotal moment for Johor as it unveiled a suite of groundbreaking initiatives to reshape the state’s environmental landscape and propel it into a new era of sustainable growth and prosperity.
Under the leadership of Menteri Besar Dato Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Johor is poised to take a leading role in Malaysia’s sustainability efforts through the launch of innovative green initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges posed by climate change. These initiatives were formally introduced at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW) 2023 on Monday, 13 November 2023. Key among these initiatives is the Johor Green Deal, the Johor Sustainability Centre, and the formation of Diverse Partnerships. The latter involves a series of collaborations and partnerships between the Johor government and the private sector, facilitated by 14 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and collaboration agreements totaling RM180 million. These agreements seek to harness collective expertise and resources to accelerate the sustainability agenda
Edey Suresh, Board Member and Johor State Director of UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB), expressed optimism about Johor’s commitment to sustainable and climate-resilient endeavors. He also highlighted the need for the momentum generated during the Asia-Pacific Climate Week to continue driving ambitious initiatives.
During the week-long event, the UNGCMYB organized a CEO roundtable with the theme ‘Energizing Change: Robust reporting frameworks as strategic pathways to transition,’ in collaboration with PwC Malaysia (Johor office) as a side event for APCW 2023.
The Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW) 2023 witnessed a remarkable gathering of 3,643 participants and delegates from 108 countries, including heads of governments, policymakers, and experts. Discussions focused on best practices, the development of partnerships, and the advancement of regional climate priorities and expectations. These deliberations will contribute to the first global stocktake, scheduled to conclude at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December this year.
The closing ceremony of APCW 2023 was graced by Donald Cooper, Director of Transparency at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Alejandro Kilpatrick, Climate Finance and Capacity Building Team Leader at the UNFCCC Secretariat.
Organized by UNFCCC and hosted by the Government of Malaysia in Johor Bahru, APCW 2023 marked the culmination of this year’s series of Regional Climate Weeks, which included the Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, Kenya; the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week in Panama City, Panama.
Pictures by The Iskandarian