[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1164, 260], "category": "Text", "text": "cooperation, and the action will target mutual interests, highlight benefits and support peer-to-peer exchanges. Fostering collaboration between Malaysia and European stakeholders will also be key, notably by leveraging existing ties between business communities, academia, and CSOs. A more strategic approach to communication, tailored to the local context, will also be implemented."}, {"bbox": [96, 284, 1164, 340], "category": "Text", "text": "Through the policy dialogues and partnerships with government and non-government actors, underpined by strategic communication, the facility will aim to tackle the following (non-exhaustive) challenges and priority areas:"}, {"bbox": [134, 364, 1164, 763], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Delivering on the Global Gateway offer and mobilising investments from the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+)](https://www.europeaid.eu/en/programmes/efsd/programmes/sustainable-development-plus) will require cooperation on three fronts.** Firstly, capitalising on the LUMIC Global Gateway project in Perak to support the potential creation of a green energy hub, as well as potential synergies in the framework of the Global Gateway Green Shipping Corridors Initiative. Secondly, European development financial institutions (DFIs) should be encouraged to actively explore partnerships with local actors through a Team Europe approach and an agreement must be concluded between Malaysia and the European Investment Bank (EIB) in order for it to operate in the country. Thirdly, an enabling environment for sustainable and inclusive trade and investments will be supported as part of the dialogue on an EU-Malaysia economic partnership and in the context of the possible resumption of FTA negotiations. This may include cooperation with respect to: good governance, anti-corruption, ASEAN integration, regulatory cooperation/convergence, standards, market access and liberalisation, digital, economic governance, economic diplomacy, green economy, green finance, sustainable consumption and production, trade and sustainable development, carbon pricing, decent inclusive work, environmentally and socially responsible supply chains, business and human rights, innovation and skills, science and research, cooperation between European and Malaysian businesses."}, {"bbox": [134, 788, 1164, 1240], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Protecting the environment and supporting the fight against climate change and resilience to its impacts are a vital and shared objective** between the European Union and Malaysia. Malaysia is one of the mega-diverse countries in the world. While 52% of Malaysia's total land area is still forested, and 19% of the land are forest reserves, the remaining forests are facing threats from unsustainable logging, illegal removal of forest products and encroachment. Forest governance is characterised by influential interests groups, a general lack of transparency and numerous large-scale corruption scandals, compounded by increasing water shortage, wildlife trafficking, inadequate land-use planning and issues related to drained peatlands (the burning of which causes high levels of pollution across Malaysia and its neighbours). Malaysia (MY) contributes to 0.61 % of global emissions (31st place globally). MY is an important natural gas and oil producer with a potential for renewables energy, still untapped. A climate change act is also in preparation, and the government seems to be committed to increase its climate ambition. Malaysia's key strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is in the energy, waste, and forestry sector. Malaysia has pledged to maintain 50% of its land area under forest and tree cover, to protect forest ecosystems, to build resilience of the forest to climate change and to increase connectivity between forest reserves. Malaysia is party to the Convention on Biological diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on wetlands of international importance and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)."}, {"bbox": [134, 1265, 1164, 1638], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Strengthening the human rights dialogue will seek to promote an effective Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) in policy-making and implementation.** 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 rights treaties. Malaysia has a Gender Inequality Index (GII) value of 0.202 with a ranking of 52nd out of 166 countries in the 2022 Index. Gender-based violence or women's political and economic empowerment are some of the remaining challenges. During its consideration of Malaysia's sixth periodic report, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women commended Malaysia on legislation to address gender-based violence, but asked about female genital mutilation, which is not prohibited and is estimated to be practiced on most women among the Muslim population. Persons with disabilities in the country face widespread societal discrimination and obstacles that prevent them from participating in society on an equal basis with others. More than 10 percent of Malaysians aged 18 years and above have disabilities, and one in four Malaysian adults experience functional difficulties"}, {"bbox": [1034, 1680, 1144, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 17"}]