Sunway City to champion sustainable devt via Jeffrey Sachs Center

BANDAR SUNWAY: Malaysia is establishing itself as a leader in the global effort to promote sustainable development with the official launch of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University. The centre, officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is the first of its kind in Asia.

Bandar Sunway (Sunway City) has been chosen to house the centre for its dynamism as the role model of a city built on the tenet of sustainable development. A suburb of Kuala Lumpur, the township is built on what was once barren mining land, but is now home to a vibrant community of 200,000 people, living, working, studying and playing in Malaysia’s first Green Building Index- certified township.

“Jeffrey Sachs Center reinforces the government’s commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals by taking a leading role in supporting the government in advancing these goals,” remarked Najib during his keynote address.

“The centre is a catalytic move to mobilise comprehensive collaboration, particularly among Southeast Asian nations, to move towards achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

“The establishment of the Jeffrey Sachs Center enhances the global expertise needed to move Malaysia and Asia forward in the area of sustainable development. The Malaysia-based center will develop linkages with leading universities and think tanks around the world and in Malaysia. In addition, the centre will curate the world’s best curriculum, academic and executive programmes on sustainable development,” lauded the prime minister.

The Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University is the result of a gift of US$ 10 million from the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Malaysia’s largest educationfocused social enterprise. To date, the gift is the largest financial commitment focused on SDG education and implementation, following the adoption of the 17 goals by 193 members of the UN in September 2015.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs is a world- renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries.