Malaysia-UNESCO Cooperation Programme (MUCP) to Enhance South-South Cooperation
Description
Operational since 2013, Malaysia-UNESCO Cooperation Programme (MUCP) places special emphasis on SIDS and LDCs in Asia and the Pacific and in Africa. It draws on the expertise of Malaysian institutions, including the International Centre for South-South Cooperation for Science, Technology and Innovation (ISTIC), and on the Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre for South-East Asia and the Pacific (HTC), created under the auspices of UNESCO. To date, 29 projects have been implemented in more than 70 countries, including Gambia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The MUCP projects are contributing to the achievement of the SDGs. MUCP projects include: educating for sustainable development in Pacific Island countries; building the capacity of Indian Ocean Member States in tsunami preparedness and response; reforming education systems to meet the demands of the 21st century; conducting climate change education for small islands; upscaling water security across Asia and Africa; developing community-based management at World Heritage sites; and strengthening STEM curricula for girls in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The Programme thus addresses a total of 13 SDGs.<br />
The scope and outreach of cooperation under the MUCP includes projects on: education policy and reform; Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); skills development; disaster risk reduction; sustainability science; enhancing science, engineering and technology standards; social inclusion; safeguarding documentary heritage; and fostering media capacity, while building on Malaysian institutions and expertise.<br />
MUCP focuses on promoting South-South cooperation to enhance science, engineering and technology standards in Asia and the Pacific with the aim of strengthening engineering institutions, improving the quality of education and enabling mobility of engineers between the Asia and Pacific region and Africa. It has led to the development of a modular curricula and prompted countries to join the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific’s (FEIAP) accreditation system. Within the framework of this project, UNESCO co-hosted several regional and interregional workshops on South-South Cooperation for Strengthening Engineering Standards and Mobility of Professionals to support the engineering qualification standardization guidelines of FEIAP and to promote South-South cooperation for sustainable development. Over 60 participants from Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste and the United Kingdom attended the December 2017 workshop in Jakarta. <br />
Moreover, MUCP supports capacity-building among policymakers in ASEAN countries, particularly in Cambodia, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste, to promote social inclusion through public policies. Using project funding, UNESCO designed and launched the Inclusive Policy Lab to support implementation of the SDGs’ pillar on inclusive development through informed and joined-up policy frameworks.<br />
Another successful practice involves support for sustainable development at World Heritage sites (and sites of the tentative list) in Southeast Asia by assisting site managers and key stakeholders in community-based management that incorporates sustainable tourism management. This led to the publication of the Sustainable Tourism Strategy Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as the Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy; its guidebook; Guide Map: Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras; and the Sustainable Tourism Strategy for George Town and Malacca.
Implementing entities: UNESCO New Delhi, UNESCO Bangkok, UNESCO Jakarta, UNESCO Apia, International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP) , International Bureau of Education (IBE)
Through building capacity, facilitating South-South regional collaborative research, cooperation and knowledge-sharing, MUCP has proved to be an effective mechanism to strengthen South-South cooperation among UNESCO Member States in a sustainable way. For example, to strengthen long-term knowledge-sharing, cooperation and dialogue, MUCP created three knowledge platforms addressing sustainability science (http://mucp-mfit.org/knowledge-platform-on-sustainability-science/), South-South cooperation for engineering qualifications, and South-South cooperation for water security. It also contributed to enhancing the capacity of policymakers in ASEAN countries, particularly in Cambodia, Malaysia and Timor-Leste to promote social inclusion through public policies, which also included the development of an Inclusive Policy Lab (http://en.unesco.org/inclusivepolicylab/). Its work to develop modular curricula on science, engineering and technology standards, which can then be adapted for professional bodies and universities for certified training of professionals, offers another good example of how UNESCO is strengthening institutional capacity through MUCP. The same approach can be shared with other development partners who are willing to use their development experiences, as well as their knowledge and technical expertise. to support LDCs and SIDS to achieve the SDGs by creating shared knowledge platforms, curricula and accreditation systems, such as the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and Pacific’s (FEIAP) accreditation system.
SDGS & Targets
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.a | Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries |
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- Asia and Pacific
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Contact Information
Clare Stark, Strategic planning specialist