[{"bbox": [82, 132, 1147, 320], "category": "Text", "text": "Malaysia has successfully diversified its **economy** from one that was initially agriculture and commodity-based, to one that now plays host to robust manufacturing and service sectors, which have propelled the country to become a leading exporter of electrical appliances, parts, and components. Malaysia is one of the most open economies in the world with trade and investment being instrumental in employment creation and income growth, with about 40% of jobs in Malaysia linked to export activities. While GDP has surpassed its pre-pandemic level, it remains below the pre-pandemic projected level. A sustainable economic growth trajectory will be needed in order for Malaysia to reach high-income status."}, {"bbox": [82, 344, 1146, 399], "category": "Text", "text": "The European Union has a key interest in deepening economic and trade relations with Malaysia as a gateway to ASEAN, especially enhancing open, sustainable and assertive trade and investment."}, {"bbox": [82, 423, 1146, 558], "category": "Text", "text": "**Income inequality** in Malaysia remains high relatively to other East Asian countries but is gradually declining. While income growth for the bottom 40% has outpaced the top 60% over much of the last decade, the absolute gap across income groups has increased, contributing to widespread perceptions of the poor being left behind. Following the removal of broad-based subsidies, the Government has gradually moved toward more targeted measures to support the poor and vulnerable, mainly in the form of cash transfers to low-income households."}, {"bbox": [82, 582, 1146, 665], "category": "Text", "text": "The European Union has a strategic interest in the continued development of Malaysia, as one of the only remaining stable democracies in ASEAN. The cooperation with the Government of Malaysia on common global challenges including the SDG agenda, will support this aim."}, {"bbox": [82, 688, 1146, 850], "category": "Text", "text": "Malaysia has mapped, integrated and aligned the SDG targets and indicators within its 11th Malaysia Plan 2016-2020 (through an SDG Roadmap) and reinforced those in the 12th Malaysia Plan 2021-2025 to ensure mutual re-enforcement and completion. However, at sub-national levels, awareness of the SDGs is low and as a consequence monitoring, measurement and data collection is also lacking. Support to promote national ownership remains needed. Malaysia needs to advance further in education, health and nutrition, and social protection outcomes. A key priority is improved participation of women in Malaysia society."}, {"bbox": [82, 874, 1146, 1009], "category": "Text", "text": "Malaysia has made remarkable progress within some areas of the **gender equality** agenda, most notably within the spheres of maternal health and women's and girls' access to education. Maternal deaths are well below global average, and almost all births are undertaken with the assistance of skilled medical staff. In education, Malaysia has reversed gender gaps in enrolment at all educational levels. The government has also introduced a flurry of initiatives to strengthen women's economic empowerment through tax incentives and legal reforms."}, {"bbox": [82, 1033, 1146, 1459], "category": "Text", "text": "However, despite this progress, women and girls still face many challenges in Malaysian society. Many of the initiated reforms are unfinished or have not led to the intended result, with a lower prioritisation of gender equality in national politics, leaving women and girls left out of the core agenda of the country's development. In addition, some groups such as members of the LGBTQI+, still face immense discrimination, as a consequence of a traditional, gender stereotyped view on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI). Moreover, the mind-set is very traditional as well as views on gender roles and society's expectations on women. It is difficult for women and girls to participate on equal terms as men and boys in society. As such, the full potential of these groups cannot be used, resulting in an untapped resource which could, through gender inclusive attitudes, contribute positively to the country's social, economic and political development. These challenges impact as well the full enjoyment of fundamental human rights by women and girls, such as access to justice, physical integrity etc. These obstacles negatively affect women who are already in precarious situations, such as migrant women, in particular undocumented migrant women, women held in immigration detention centres and asylum-seeking and refugee women.¹ Malaysia remains a destination country for trafficking of women and girls, including asylum-seeking and refugee women and girls, for purposes of sexual exploitation, begging, forced labour or forced marriage.\n\nTackling these challenges will be the focus on the Malaysian Country Level Implementation Plan, which will be implemented with the support of the cooperation facility."}, {"bbox": [82, 1483, 1146, 1591], "category": "Text", "text": "Regarding the protection of human rights, Malaysia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRDP) but has not yet ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), nor other main human"}, {"bbox": [72, 1636, 1021, 1663], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹ Concluding observations on the combined third to fifth periodic reports of Malaysia, CEDAW Committee, 2018."}, {"bbox": [1144, 1663, 1159, 1684], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "6"}]