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OFFICIATING SPEECH

YB DATO' SRI ROHANI ABDUL KARIM MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY 2015

(INSAN 2015)

ROYALE BINTANG RESORT & SPA, SEREMBAN

19TH OCTOBER 2015 | 11.00 AM

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Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

Salam Sejahtera and Salam 1Malaysia.

[SALUTATION]

Introduction

Alhamdulillah, let us extend our sincere gratitude to Allah S.W.T for

giving us the opportunity to be here today for the 2nd International

Conference on Human Sustainability 2015. I would like to bid all of

you and especially the overseas speakers and participants “Selamat

Datang” and welcome to Malaysia.

1. I would also like to congratulate the organisers in making this

conference a success. I am told that this event is a collaborative effort

involving several agencies and institutions, namely Universiti Tun

Hussein Onn Malaysia, Social Institute of Malaysia, Polytechnic, and

two Universities from Indonesia, Universitas Muhammadiyah

Makassar and Universitas Lancang Kuning.

Human Development and Gender Inequality Index

2. The theme chosen for this INSAN 2015 conference “Transforming Community Development through Human Sustainability

Enhancement: Aspirations and Challenges in the Future” is very

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close and relevant to what we in the Ministry of Women, Family and

Community Development are doing and aspiring.

3. The Human Development Report 2014 released by the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reveals that Malaysia’s

Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2013 is 0.773 – which is

the high human development category – positioning Malaysia at 62

out of 187 countries. Between 1980 and 2013, Malaysia’s HDI value

had increased from 0.577 to 0.773, an increase of 34.0 percent or an

average annual increase of about 0.89 percent. Malaysia’s 2013 HDI

of 0.773 is above the average of 0.735 for countries in the high

human development group and above the average of 0.703 for

countries in East Asia and the Pacific. From East Asia and the

Pacific, countries which are close to Malaysia in 2013 HDI rank and

to some extent in population size are Thailand and the Philippines,

which have HDIs ranked 89 and 117 respectively. For your

information, HDI is calculated based on 3 dimensions that is; a)

Leading a long and healthy life, b) Education, and c) A decent

standard of living.

4. The report also revealed that Malaysia has shown very positive

improvement in all the three dimensions. Between 1980 and 2013,

Malaysia’s life expectancy at birth increased by 6.9 years (68.1 years

in 1980 to 75.0 in 2013), mean years of schooling increased by 5.1

years (4.4 years in 1980 to 9.5 years in 2013), expected years of

schooling increased by 3.7 years (9.0 years in 1980 to 12.7 years in

2013). Malaysia’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita increased

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by about 188.3 percent between 1980 and 2013. The GNI per capita

for 2013 was USD21,824 compared to USD7,569 in 1980.

5. As for Gender Inequality Index (GII), Malaysia has a GII value of

0.210, ranking it 39 out of 149 countries in the 2014 index. In

Malaysia, 66.0 percent of adult women have reached at least a

secondary level of education compared to 72.8 percent of their male

counterparts. For every 100,000 live births, 29.0 women die from

pregnancy related causes; and the adolescent birth rate is 5.7 births

per 1000 live births. Female participation in the labour market is 44.3

percent compared to 75.3 for men.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

1AZAM Programme and Productive Welfare Under the Ministry

6. Although the numbers and figures for HDI and GII provided by UNDP

have put Malaysia in a more superior position compared to other

countries similar in population size such as Thailand and the

Philippines, we at the Ministry believe more can be done in order to

improve the quality of life in Malaysia especially for those who are

below the poverty line.

7. The Ministry has been given the task to lead one of the National Key

Results Area under the Government Transformation Programme

(GTP) which is Raising Living Standards of the Low Income

Households (LIH). Efforts and initiatives have been taken and are still

watchala � 10/17/15 9:11 PMComment: Pls
check
this.
Female
participation
rate
of
women
in
the
labour
force
in
2014
was
44.3
betulkah???


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ongoing with the objective for eradicating poverty amongst

Malaysians. Initiatives such as 1AZAM and eKASIH are carried out

throughout the years and have benefited many of our target groups

especially the women. In 2014, more than 30,000 new participants

took part in 1AZAM Programme. A total of 24,897 participants have

successfully increased their monthly income by RM300, which is

substantial from what they were getting before the program. Under

the 1AZAM programme, participants are equipped with tools and

machines as well as relevant skills and knowledge so that they would

be able to lead a better life. Most of these participants are now

enjoying a better quality life and income. Many of them are now

having their own small businesses in various sectors namely

agricultural, tourism, food industries, tailoring and services. Loans

and micro credits are also provided under TEKUN (Tabung Usaha

Kumpulan Usaha Niaga) scheme, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM),

Agro Bank as well as some commercial banks in Malaysia.

8. Besides providing welfare assistance to the target groups, the

Ministry is focusing more on productive welfare approach for our

clients. This approach is targeting the clients who are still productive

in age and health, in becoming independent without having to depend

further on government assistance. It is an exit policy to encourage the

recipients to be self-reliant by actively being involved in employment

or income generation programmes.

9. I believe conferences, seminars and intellectual discussions such as

INSAN 2015 are important and are able to assist the Ministry in

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planning and executing effective future programmes. I hope the

outputs obtained through various studies and presented during this 2

day conference would shed some light on the issues and challenges

as well as opportunities related to community development

transformation and human sustainability. Indeed, the ministry is

looking forward to hearing new ideas and suggestions from everyone

attending this conference.

10. Before I conclude, once again I would like to congratulate all the

agencies and institutions for organising this conference. This

collaborative effort, I must say, is very commendable and should be

continued in future. Syabas! To all participants, thank you for

committing your time and energy towards this conference. I wish all of

you the best and a fruitful discussion. I am looking forward to hear the

results and resolutions of this conference.

11. With Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I hereby declare the International

Conference on Human Sustainability Development (INSAN 2015)

officially open.

Wabillahi Taufiq Walhidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi

Wabarakatuh.

Thank you.