The Kuala Lumpur Sustainability Summit (KLSS) 2025 continued its momentum on the second day, following the launch on Tuesday by YB Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Plantation and Commodities and Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.
The summit is jointly organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) and the Ministry of Economy (KE) and led by the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) and Pusat SDG Negara.
The summit attracted top management and C-suite leaders from government bodies, think tanks, corporations, SMEs, civil society organisations, and academia.
In his opening address, YB Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani highlighted that the summit has been crafted as a broader architecture to support regional resilience and global relevance.
The insights, innovations and institutional partnerships that emerge over the two days must be translated into action across the ASEAN community and beyond.
Day one of KLSS 2025 brought together leading voices shaping the global sustainability agenda. Selwin Charles Hart, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, underscored the importance of regional collaboration and shared responsibility in achieving climate resilience and just transition goals.
From Malaysia, Izlyn Ramli, Chief Executive Officer of Maybank Foundation, highlighted how partnerships between financial institutions and communities are driving innovation and inclusive green growth. Together, these perspectives set the tone for the summit’s focus on collective innovation and actionable pathways towards a more sustainable ASEAN.
Day two opened with a session led by Eric Kane, Global Head of ESG Research, Bloomberg Intelligence, setting the stage for practical discussions on driving sustainability through cross-sector collaboration and innovation.
This was followed by the MGTC x Bloomberg Series Fireside Dialogue, ‘Engineering Sustainability: Delivering Impact at Scale’, featuring Saiful Adib Abdul Munaff, Acting Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of MGTC.
He underscored the importance of translating corporate sustainability ambitions into measurable and scalable impact for Malaysia’s green economy.
The day continued with a series of thought-provoking discussions that explored the nation’s green transition across industries, from corporate climate action and digital transformation to decarbonising Malaysia’s maritime sector.
The Local Spotlight on Circular Economy showcased how homegrown innovation and circular solutions are reshaping sustainable resource management.
Day two of the summit concluded with Prof Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), delivering his message ‘This Decade Decides’. His remarks underscored the urgency of immediate climate action and the unprecedented opportunity before Malaysia to lead regional decarbonisation efforts.
A key highlight was the formal unveiling of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Climate Resilience, which signifies the regional commitment in Malaysia’s national context, uniting government, business, and communities in a shared effort to strengthen climate adaptation, enhance resilience, and accelerate practical action on the ground.
It invites all sectors to align with this vision, reaffirming that Malaysia’s path to sustainability must be collective, inclusive, and enduring.
