Malaysia Committed to Strengthening Global Partnerships on Climate Action

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia remains committed to working closely with international partners to ensure a mutually beneficial outcome in combating climate change and deforestation, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani.

He said this in response to the European Commission's recent announcement that it would not delay the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is slated to come into force on Dec 30, 2024.

"Malaysia is also committed to key global sustainability goals such as retaining at least 50 per cent of forest cover, achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, reducing carbon intensity against Gross Domestic Product by 45 per cent by 2030 and reducing global methane emission by 30 per cent by 2030, among others," he said in a statement today.

Johari noted that Malaysia’s palm oil sector has adopted stringent sustainability standards through the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme.

"This initiative not only demonstrates our commitment to transparency and traceability across the supply chain, but also to ensure the industry is fully prepared for the regulation," he said.

He also highlighted four key areas crucial for ensuring the sustainability of Malaysian palm oil products, namely traceability, deforestation-free practices, legitimate land ownership, and adherence to good labour practices in line with the International Labour Organisation’s standards.

Johari noted that 73 per cent of Malaysia’s 5.7 million hectares of oil palm plantations are managed by large corporations, many of which have the expertise and resources to meet export regulations for the European market.

However, the minister acknowledged that the remaining 27 per cent of oil palm plantations, which are managed by around 450,000 smallholders, face distinct challenges in adapting to the evolving regulatory requirements.

"The government, through the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities, is actively working on capacity-building initiatives to support their transition toward EUDR compliance.

“This is important to ensure that the livelihoods of these smallholders are not affected by the implementation of the regulation," he added.

-- BERNAMA