Accelerating Malaysia's Progress Towards Implementation of ICPD Programme of Action

Malaysia is committed towards the effective implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The National Population and Family Development Board, under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is the focal point for addressing population, family development and reproductive health issues.

Malaysia will be an ageing nation by 2030, and the tempo of ageing will be accelerating. Recently the UNDP embarked on the pilot project for Age-friendly City starting with Taiping, Perak. The empowering of the youth population is further emphasised when the government recently amended our Federal Constitution to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.

In the effort to end sexual and gender based violence, Malaysia is currently drafting a Sexual Harassment Bill which is expected to be tabled in Parliament by 2020. Malaysia has also taken the initiative to draft an Anti-Discrimination Against Women Bill to address gender equality in accordance with Article 8 of the Federal Constitution.

The National Policy on Reproductive Health and Social Education 2009 will be updated with a new set of plan of actions by not later than 2021. The new plan of actions will further increase the effectiveness of comprehensive and age-appropriate Sexual and Reproduction Health Education in formal and informal education mechanisms. A national committee is being mobilised with participation from various agencies and NGOs to monitor its implementation.

In addressing child marriages, the Government has embarked in the drafting of a National Strategy and Plan in Handling the Causes of Child Marriage in Malaysia, which is based on the factors identified through the Child Marriage Study by UNICEF. The Plan includes efforts to overcome and prevent child marriage at both micro and macro levels.The draft Plan is scheduled to be completed tentatively by the end of this year.