KUCHING, 20 June - The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS), Sarikei District Council (MDS), and URBANICE Malaysia on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Voluntary Local Review (VLR) was witnessed today by YB Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier of Sarawak, who is also the Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government.

According to him, the VLR is not merely a tool to assess current performance but serves as an important method to identify sustainable development gaps and plan for data-driven improvements. Sarawak is the first state in Malaysia to have a sustainable development roadmap for all categories of local authorities – City Councils, Municipal Councils, and District Councils. Based on findings by URBANICE Malaysia, Sarawak's City Councils recorded an average SDG performance with an achievement of 67%, followed by Municipal Councils at 60% and District Councils at 52%, all exceeding the national average performance of 43%. Datuk Amar Dr Sim stressed that the courage to be evaluated and measured is essential in advancing the SDG agenda and ensuring a more targeted and inclusive implementation of PCDS 2030.

Also present at the ceremony were Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) Desmond Douglas Jerukan, Chief Executive Officer of URBANICE Malaysia TPr Ts. Norliza Hashim, MPP Chairman Councillor Tan Kai, MPKS Chairman Councillor Abang Ismawi Abang Ali, MDS Chairman Councillor Stephen Wong Kie Yong, and the Secretaries of the local authorities.