SERI ISKANDAR, Nov 16 — Economic corridors such as the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) serve as important bridges connecting urban and rural areas, fostering economic activity and facilitating rural development and equitable resources in each region.
Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said as the implementing agency for the NCER development, the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) has implemented strategic infrastructure and human capital development to attract quality investment that has a great impact on NCER’s growth.
The strategy basically focuses on the sustainable development goal (SDG) objectives, she added.
“For example, the redevelopment project of the EkoRimba Lata Kinjang Tourism Centre, Perak has successfully raised the socioeconomic status of the Orang Asli community in nearby villages through the offer of job and business opportunities.
“The Lata Kinjang development model that has proven to be successful will be expanded to other projects such as community development in underdeveloped areas and border area development projects in NCER,” she said at the Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2023: Northern Region here today.
Hanifah Hajar said the Economy Ministry responded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call to integrate the SDGs into the national development policy.
The National SDG Centre established under the Economy Ministry has recently been given the responsibility to enhance SDG coordination actions at the national level, she added.
“This includes improving the country’s SDG achievement and increasing awareness in its implementation, in addition to adapting environmental, social and governance principles or better known as environment, social and governance (ESG),” said Hanifah Hajar.
She added that this planning is very important in determining the country’s direction towards achieving the SDG goals more effectively and efficiently.
“Our journey in expanding SDG awareness throughout the country requires us to be prepared to face various challenges that arise.
“We need a different approach in localising the SDGs at the grassroots level,” she added.
The one-day summit was organised by the NCIA together with the Economy Ministry.
It aimed to support the federal government’s efforts to promote SDG implementation and achievements at state and local levels while raising awareness and understanding of the SDGs among Malaysians.
The summit highlighted the importance of economic corridors and their integration into the National SDG Framework and emphasised the need for alignment between SDG goals and local-level plans, programmes and projects, stressing the critical role of regional implementation in achieving the Sustainable Agenda 2030.
— Bernama
