By Dr Hezri Adnan, Academy of Sciences Malaysia & Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia

1. Integrated Approaches in Malaysia
Baselines, Design and Gaps
Session II: Supporting Integrated Approaches and Identifying Accelerator Interventions
Regional Knowledge Exchange: Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
24-25 October 2016, Bangkok, Thailand
Dr Hezri Adnan
Academy of Sciences Malaysia & Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia

2. Outline of Talk
1. SDGs Readiness Assessment
2. Implementation Gaps and Counter
Measures
3. Integrated Approach # 1 – Green Growth
4. Integrated Approach #2 – National
Physical Plan
5. Integrated Approach # 3 – Inclusive
Development
6. Concluding Remarks

3. An Overview
SDGs Readiness Assessment for Malaysia

4. • The central idea of sustainability revolves around the
convergence of three main pillars of development
namely economic, social and environmental.
• The said convergence is yet to take place in Malaysia.
Decoupling necessary
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
GDP(00'Million)
&Povertyrates
Year
Poverty Rate
GDP Per Capita
Growth with Equity Balanced Development Performance DevelopmentLaissez-faire
Ecological Footprint
Globalpersonperha
MALAYSIA
Population of 31
mil (2015)
Natural resources
under state
jurisdiction
Area of 330,396
km2
Upper middle
income with GNI
per capita of
USD10,196
Malaysia’s Development Profile

5. A Snapshot of Malaysia’s SDGs Performance
Source: ISIS Malaysia 2015
SDGs requires strong
efforts in meeting
higher order goals..
Unlike MDGs, basic
needs were already a
national priority since
the 1970s

6. A Snapshot of Malaysia’s SDGs Performance
Source: ISIS Malaysia 2015

7. Background and Context: Road to 2030
7
Report
submitted 4th
December
2015

8. Implementation Gaps and Study Objective
8
To focus on Malaysia’s implementation readiness to support the proposed Goals
and Targets on Sustainable Development for Post-2015 Development Agenda in line
with the Rio+20 outcomes.

9. 9
Part I Part II
The report consists of 2 parts: -
Part I, consisting of a rapid assessment and the gap analysis on four key
implementation challenges
Part II, consisting of six case studies assessing these four key
implementation challenges
Report Overview: Study Objective

10. 10
Report Overview and Study Highlights

11. An Overview
Implementation Gaps and Counter Measures
for SDGs Mainstreaming

12. GAP 1
Overarching
Vision on
Sustainable
Development
GAP 2
Policy integration
approaches to
mainstream
sustainable
development
GAP 3
Effective use of
instruments
linking policy to
action
GAP 4
Institutional
Framework for
Sustainable
Development
GAP 5
Multi-stakeholder
Partnerships
GAP 6
Community
Participation
GAP 7
Lack of Technical
Capacity to address
challenges
GAP 8
Public
awareness
GAP 9
Evidence based
policy and
decision-making
GAP 10
Sustainable
development
database
GAP 11
Monitoring and
Evaluation System
for the SDGs

13. 13
Proposed Counter Measures

14. 14
Who Will Implement the Counter Measures?

15. Integrated Approach #1
Green Growth – Creation of a New Policy
Domain
SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production; SDG 9 Industry and Infrastructure;
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities; SDG 7 Energy; SDG 6 Water and Sanitation

16. Hezri & Ghazali, 2011
• Greening the economy is not a new phenomenon.
• Piece-meal greening took place based on ecological modernization principles.
• Integrated-greening, is a post 2009 phenomenon, the Keynesian policy response to the
3 F crises

17. 17
Policy Design to Spearhead Green Growth
Logic of Design
The highest degree of policy integration is the creation of a new policy
domain
Creation of a new policy
domain
Green technology policy, institutions,
and instruments

18. 18
Policy Design to Spearhead Green Growth
18
“…shift from the
conventional and costly
‘grow first, clean-up
later’ path to a more
greener trajectory –
Green Growth...” – 11
MP, p. 6-1 “Green growth is therefore a game changer
because it is not just a stand-alone strategic
thrust, but a development trajectory that
considers all three pillars of sustainable” – 11
MP, p. 6-1
15,300 jobs creation in RE
industry by 2020
20% green government
procurement by 2020
– 11 MP, p. 6-15
22% household recycling
rate by 2020
‘Malaysia can be the world’s leading green
economy in tropical forest and marine
biodiversity conservation’– NEM, p. 66
“EPP5: Developing biogas
at palm oil mills and
EPP7: Commercialising
second generation
biofuels” - NKEA for Oil
Palm in ETP

19. Challenges in implementing green technology for green growth
Source: ISIS 2014

20. Problems and Root Causes
Source: ISIS 2014

21. Capacity of agencies to implement policies
Need transition
management plan -
A continuous
process of learning
and understanding
the issues is
needed to ensure
the best match
between reality on
the ground and the
solutions we offer.
Source: ISIS 2014
Functional fit is not apparent

22. Power-Interest Matrix of Major Greening Stakeholders
Action:
More stakeholders
should move to
Quadrant B
Source: ISIS 2014

23. Integrated Approach #2
National Physical Plan 2 for Biodiversity
Conservation Beyond Protected Areas
SDG 15 Life on Land; SDG 13 Climate Action; SDG 11 Sustainable Cities; SDG 12
Sustainable Consumption

24. • Peninsular Malaysia is currently left with only four fragmented and disconnected large
islands of forests
• National Physical Plan is a spatial tool identifying Environmentally-Sensitive Areas and
the Central Forest Spine
• Demonstrated an informational tool that can be used for policy integration
Source: Hezri 2016

25. 25
Policy Design to Mainstream Biodiversity
Logic of Design
Cognitive (informational) approach, focusing on a set of ideas or principles
that provides structures to the thinking within a policy sector
Redefinition of a policy
problem
Spatial framework for land use
development in Peninsular Malaysia
 The strategy is to connect the fragmented areas with the establishment
corridor in the area known as the Central Forest Spine
 It is estimated that 5.3 million hectares or 40% of Peninsula is under Central
Forest Spine, 80% of which lies within forest reserves (PFR)
 The government has allocated US$53.13 million to implement the corridor
concept for tiger conservation by developing 7 wildlife viaducts linking Taman
Negara and the Royal Belum State Park in Perak with their respective adjacent
forest reserves

26. Integrated Approach #3
Inclusive Development and Human Rights
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities; SDG 1 No Poverty; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic
Growth; SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

27. • Refocus strategy from minimum survival – absolute poverty
line – to the vulnerable group, the households at the bottom
40% of income distribution (B40)
Doubling the mean monthly income of B40
households from RM2,537 in 2014 to
RM5,270 in 2020
Recalibration of target
 Use of Multidimensional Poverty Index to
complement PLI or headcount ratio
 Reducing school dropouts
 Raising wealth ownership through
investment programmes
 Raising financial education and debt
management programmes
 Provision of affordable housing & social
safety net
Policy instruments mix
Streamlining of policy goals and instruments

28. • A SUHAKAM inquiry found “that there is a high level of frustration, anger and
desperation among the indigenous communities because of the non-recognition of
the rights to land, resulting in the venting of dissent or threats, and lately open
protests”
• Malaysia is a signatory to a number of UN declarations on human rights and equal
opportunities
• These have not been adequately recognized in the planning and implementation
process
The poverty rate for the indigenous group (Orang Asli)
in Peninsular Malaysia remains high at 34%, as well
for the natives of Sabah (20.2%) and Sarawak (7.3%)
The rights of forest dwelling peoples?

29. 29
Policy Design to Enhance Inclusiveness
Logic of Design
Widening of policy objectives which requires a systematic overhaul of the
administrative apparatus and its delivery mechanisms
Consolidation of the policy
domain
Shifting of the goal from poor
households to the vulnerable groups
 How to ensure the two goals of inclusiveness and sustainability as stated in the
Eleventh Malaysia Plan will not turn out to be contradictory or mutually
exclusive?
 Reconciling economic policy regimes with the new understanding of the rights of
indigenous peoples has added a distinctive dimension to policy integration
 Unraveling the policy legacies of several decades of PLI-oriented policy regimes is
a complex task

30. Concluding Remarks

31. 31
Unpack the Meaning of ‘Accelerator Interventions’
1. Sustainable development policy objectives and frameworks designed, but
do not come up to the mark with developing supportive instrument mixes
that could realize the initially defined sustainable policy outcomes
2. There is no blank slates in public policy
 lock-in effects may occur resulting from path dependency and
consequential policy layering
 Dominant subsystems or policy instruments are often remarkably
resilient and serve vested interests
3. What is the meaning of ‘integrated approach’? What are the dimensions of
integration?
4. What do we do with the dynamics of policy integration?
 The nature of change over time is under-theorized - policy integration
appears to advance or diminish in a linear manner
 Tempo and direction and policy change?

32. Thank
You for
Listening
Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso
hezri.adnan@anu.edu.au
hezriadnan@gmail.com