As Asean Chair, Malaysia is leading efforts to strengthen regional unity, economic integrity and climate resilience under the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future – a blueprint for fostering inclusive, sustainable growth and deeper multilateral cooperation.
Coupled with its presidency of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) – a focal point for pressing urbanisation and human settlement challenges globally – Malaysia will be leading the regional and global agendas on urban sustainability.
Cities, as engines of progress, will be pivotal in delivering this vision.
Though driving economic growth, Southeast Asia’s urban centres face severe climate risks, with projected GDP losses of up to 11 per cent by 2100 under high-emission scenarios. Marginalised urban citizens are at heightened risk to climate change impacts – from flash flooding to heat waves and water stress – due to pervasive social, income and resource inequalities.
The defining challenge for Malaysia and the region lies in harmonising urban development with decarbonisation, resilience and equity. Cities are already pioneering solutions, from nature-based solutions to artificial intelligence and blended finance, supported by effective governance mechanisms. Nonetheless, scaling these efforts demands unprecedented collaboration across governments, industries, financiers and civil society, alongside enhanced regional coordination.
In its maiden edition in Malaysia, Cities: Possibilities 2025 will convene these key decision makers from these stakeholder groups to forge partnerships, exchange innovative ideas and accelerate actionable pathways for sustainable urban development.
Taking place at the same time as COP30, Belem, Cities Malaysia will provide a timely platform for discussion on the pathways to implementation – a key theme of this year's UN climate change meeting.
By bridging stakeholder divides and amplifying local innovation, the forum aims to turn shared challenges into transformative opportunities, ensuring cities become cornerstones of Asean’s – and the globe’s – sustainable development agenda.
