KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Malaysia has been honoured with the Global Zero Waste Special Citation Award, the highest category conferred by the Zero Waste Foundation, underscoring the country’s leadership and commitment to advancing sustainable waste management and circular economy principles.
The award was presented in Istanbul by the Zero Waste Foundation's patron and the First Lady of Turkiye Emine Erdoğan to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, during the Global Zero Waste Forum 2025 on Sunday.
In a statement today, the Housing and Local Government Ministry quoted him as saying that the special recognition is a testament to Malaysia’s sustained efforts in transforming urban waste management, promoting environmental stewardship and fostering innovative solutions for sustainable cities.
“This global recognition strengthens my resolve to be a steadfast champion for this cause, and I pledge to you today that my team and I will work tirelessly to forge a sincere and meaningful partnership with the Zero Waste Foundation as mandated by the United Nations.
“Together, we will elevate these critical principles on the global stage: at the United Nations (UN), throughout Asia-Pacific, and across my own region of Asean,” said Nga, who is also president of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Assembly in his acceptance speech.
He emphasised that the special citation underscores the importance of stronger multilateral action and a global commitment to rethink, reduce, re-use and recycle, as well as strengthen Malaysia’s relationship with Mother Earth.
The other three award categories are Innovative Research and Design, Zero Waste Projects, and Zero Waste Practices. Malaysia received the highest award, marking the nation’s leadership and exemplary achievements in advancing Zero Waste solutions under Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim's leadership.
Malaysia’s leadership in sustainability is reflected through recycling centres and ‘Trash to Cash’ initiatives, to the launch of the Circular Economy Blueprint 2025-2035, which promotes producer responsibility, digital waste tracking systems and green technology hubs to build healthier and more resilient cities.
The country’s efforts also include transforming old landfills into Lestari (Sustainable) Parks, green community spaces powered by renewable energy and Kuala Lumpur’s artificial intelligence-powered transfer station, which processes 2,500 tonnes of waste daily, thus demonstrating Malaysia’s innovative approach to amplify sustainable urban management.
It also mobilised more than 100,000 volunteers through the annual Hari Cuci Malaysia (HCM) campaign, modelled after the United Nations’ World Cleanup Day, which has broken five national records since its inception last year.
Later, Nga delivered his keynote closing remarks at the Forum, reaffirming Malaysia’s continued commitment to championing Zero Waste during its presidency of the UN-Habitat Assembly, ensuring full alignment with the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
He also called on all 104 participating countries to integrate Zero Waste into their national climate strategies, empower local authorities as “engines of implementation” and enhance multilevel cooperation to align global frameworks with practical action on the ground.
Nga also highlighted Malaysia’s ongoing advocacy with its counterparts in Brazil to mainstream the New Urban Agenda within the UNFCCC process, ahead of COP30 (Conference of Parties) in Brazil next month.
The Global Zero Waste Forum 2025, themed “Zero Waste in Action: People, Places, Progress”, was held from October 17 to October 19 in Istanbul, bringing together representatives from over 104 countries.
It also included 118 international partner organisations, mayors, ambassadors and senior representatives from numerous international institutions, like the UN, UN-Habitat, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Hosted by the Zero Waste Foundation under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan, the Forum serves as a global platform to strengthen international cooperation towards achieving waste-free and sustainable cities, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
