Melaka Declaration Workshop Drives ASEAN Cultural Cooperation And Heritage Transformation
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) secretary general Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot said the two-day workshop is seen as a catalyst for deeper ASEAN cultural ties, with Malaysia taking a leading role in heritage preservation, value creation and cross-border cultural diplomacy.
He said the workshop aims to translate the Melaka Declaration into concrete frameworks that promote the creation of shared heritage value, enhance regional resilience and generate sustainable socio-economic benefits across ASEAN.
'This is not merely a workshop, but a strategic platform to spark new partnerships, build knowledge, and collectively shape ASEAN's cultural future. It is a game-changer for regional cooperation,' he told Bernama after officiating the opening ceremony of the workshop, here today.
He said key focus areas include unlocking the socio-economic potential of tangible and intangible heritage, raising grassroots awareness on heritage preservation, integrating culture into sustainable development policies, and advancing cross-border repatriation and protection of shared cultural assets.
Through panel discussions, breakout sessions and plenary engagements, he said participants are expected to identify strategies to strengthen the heritage value chain, boost heritage tourism, generate job opportunities and embed culture within national and regional development agendas.
"The workshop also acts as a springboard for capacity building among ASEAN stakeholders with knowledge transfer in areas such as heritage management, repatriation procedures and sustainable tourism planning," he said.
Apart from that, he said MOTAC sees the workshop as a significant contributor to the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit, with its outcomes expected to inform the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community outcome document that will shape future cultural cooperation across the region.
By centring value creation in cultural cooperation, he believes the workshop will provide stakeholders with a clear roadmap to transform cultural assets into inclusive economic drivers, spanning heritage tourism, creative industries, education and community empowerment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
16 minutes ago
- The Star
MPOB expects palm oil exports to recover in second half of 2025
NEW DELHI: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) expects palm oil exports to recover in the second half of this year due to stronger festival season demand in key markets. "The demand, particularly from India, is due to the need to replenish stock for the festive season, attractive palm oil pricing and lower import duty on crude vegetable oils,' MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir told Bernama. Ahmad Parveez was in New Delhi last week to speak at a conference organised by the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA). In the first half of this year, Malaysian exports of palm oil and palm-based products dipped 7.4 per cent to 11.39 million tonnes compared with the January-June period last year, according to MPOB figures. Palm oil exports were recorded at 6.95 million tonnes during the half-year period, representing a drop of 7.7 per cent over the corresponding period in 2024 as demand weakened in India, China, the European Union, Bangladesh and Egypt. Nonetheless, despite a drop in the overall palm oil exports in the first half of 2025, Malaysia saw a growth in volumes to the Philippines, Iran, Kenya and Nigeria. Ahmad Parveez said that although export tonnage had dropped, Malaysia's earnings from palm oil and palm products during the January-June 2025 period surged 9.3 per cent to RM53.43 billion compared with the same period last year. The value of palm oil exports was almost RM34 billion. Malaysian palm oil has gained in geographical reach in recent years. Malaysia's full-year palm oil exports by volume this year are projected to be 5.3 per cent lower than the 16.9 million tonnes recorded in 2024. On the Indian market, Ahmad Parveez said demand remains particularly strong in the food services, household, and food manufacturing sectors. However, there are certain challenges, and one of them is India's import tax. "A key concern is India's import policy, particularly the frequent adjustments to import duties. The recent hike in effective duties on crude palm oil to 27.5 per cent, and on refined palmolein to 35.75 per cent, has significantly narrowed palm oil's natural price advantage compared to soft oils such as soybean and sunflower," Ahmad Parveez said. "While we acknowledge India's policy objective to strengthen domestic oilseed production under the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm, such measures have made palm oil imports increasingly cost-sensitive and less predictable," he said. The price premium of palm oil, along with ample global soybean oil supplies, has led to a drop in palm oil's share in India's vegetable oil imports to 46 per cent this year from 59 per cent in 2023, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) chief executive officer Belvinder Sron said at the same New Delhi industry conference. However, Malaysia's share in Indian palm oil imports reached 35 per cent in the first half of this year compared with 30 per cent in 2023, Sron said in her presentation. - Bernama
Barnama
18 minutes ago
- Barnama
Bursa Pares Gains To Close Lower On Cautious Sentiment Ahead Of US Tariff Deadline
At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 4.38 points, or 0.29 per cent, to close at 1,529.38 from Friday's close of 1,533.76. KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia pared earlier gains to close lower on Monday, as investors adopted a more cautious posture ahead of the US tariff negotiation deadline on Aug 1. Turnover improved to three billion units worth RM2.30 billion from 2.86 billion shares worth RM2.16 billion on Friday. In the broader market, losers led gainers 554 to 420, while 488 counters were unchanged and 1,091 untraded, with 43 suspended. The benchmark index opened 4.29 points firmer at 1,538.05 and moved between 1,528.34 and 1,539.38 throughout the trading session. 'Among the FBM KLCI constituents, plantation and utility counters led the gainers, aligning with our weekly view that investor positioning would favour domestically oriented sectors amidst heightened external uncertainty. However, the momentum proved unsustainable into the afternoon, with the index closing lower as investors adopted a more cautious posture ahead of Thursday's US tariff deadline. UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research, Mohd Sedek Jantan, noted that the FBM KLCI commenced the week's trading on a firm footing, posting early gains during the morning session. 'We anticipate markets will continue to consolidate in the near term, awaiting further signals from the Malaysia-US trade talks or any fresh tariff-related announcements from US President Donald Trump,' he told Bernama. Mohd Sedek noted that regional peers delivered a mixed performance on Monday, weighed by profit-taking and concerns over global trade developments. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.68 per cent to close at 25,562.13, South Korea's Kospi garnered 0.42 per cent to 3,209.52, while Singapore's Straits Times Index lost 0.27 per cent to 4,249.48, and Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 1.10 per cent to 40,998.27. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the local benchmark index closed below the 1,530 level due to late selling. He noted that market sentiment was subdued as investors awaited more details from the US-China trade discussions, set to begin in Stockholm later today. Thong said the local bourse remains in consolidation mode, hovering around the 1,530 level due to a lack of fresh catalysts. 'For the moment, we expect the FBM KLCI to trend range-bound, hovering within 1,510-1,540 points for the week. We notice crude palm oil (CPO) futures remain above RM4,000 per tonne, and we believe this is an opportunity to accumulate plantation stocks,' he added. Of the heavyweight stocks, Maybank, CIMB and IHH Healthcare were all flat at RM9.54, RM6.75 and RM6.66, respectively. Public Bank fell four sen to RM4.25 and Tenaga Nasional slid 24 sen to RM13.36. Petronas Chemicals jumped eight sen to RM3.61, and Nestle surged RM2.50 to RM88. Among the most active stocks, Ekovest added four sen to 44 sen, NexG inched up half a sen to 53 sen, and Tanco grew one sen to 92.5 sen. Zetrix AI went down 7.5 sen to 83.5 sen and YTL Corporation slipped three sen to RM2.45. Among top gainers and decliners, SAM Engineering and Equipment rallied 13 sen to RM4.20, while Fraser and Neave and Infomina were 10 sen higher each at RM29 and RM1.1, respectively. United Plantations dropped 32 sen to RM21.90, and Petronas Dagangan lost 26 sen to RM21.44 to lead the losers. Across the broader market, the FBM Emas Index dropped 34.62 points to 11,472.20, the FBMT 100 Index slipped 37.27 points to 11,232.45, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index lost 38.94 points to 11,490.04. The FBM 70 Index fell 77.16 points to 16,530.41 while the FBM ACE Index shaved 2.42 points to 4,636.60. By sector, the Plantation Index grew 28.44 points to 7,463.23, the Industrial Products and Services Index inched up 0.25 of a point higher to 157.39, and the Energy Index climbed 0.94 of a point to 740.79. The Financial Services Index sank 45.86 points to 17,408.37. The Main Market volume improved to 1.67 billion units valued at RM2.03 billion from 1.26 billion units valued at RM1.85 billion. Warrant turnover slipped to 1.01 billion units worth RM161.01 million from 1.28 billion units worth RM218.03 million previously. The ACE Market volume rose to 323.13 million units worth RM106.95 million from 313.89 million units worth RM90.97 million. Consumer products and services counters accounted for 236.86 million shares traded on the Main Market; industrial products and services (218.34 million), construction (182.64 million), technology (469.30 million), SPAC (nil), financial services (63.27 million), property (170.58 million), plantation (13.29 million), REITs (15.88 million), closed-end fund (900), energy (110.48 million), healthcare (42.84 million), telecommunications and media (33.72 million), transportation and logistics (39.83 million), utilities (71.07 million), and business trusts (27,000). -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @ @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial TikTok : @bernamaofficial
Barnama
33 minutes ago
- Barnama
Bursa Malaysia Reprimands Smile-Link For Delay In Submitting Audited Financial Statements
BUSINESS KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd has publicly reprimanded dental outfit Smile-Link Healthcare Global Bhd for failing to submit its annual audited financial statements (AFS) for the financial period ended June 30, 2024, within the stipulated timeframe. In a statement today, Bursa Malaysia said Smile-Link breached Rule 6.13 of the LEAP Market Listing Requirements (LEAP LR), which requires listed companies to announce their AFS together with the auditors' and directors' reports on or before Oct 31, 2024. 'Smile-Link only made the announcement on April 30, 2025, resulting in a six-month delay. 'The company was also required to ensure its board of directors review and assess the adequacy and competency of the company's finance and accounting resources and adequacy, comprehensiveness, implementation and effectiveness of the company's policies and procedures in respect of financial reporting,' it said. Bursa Malaysia stated that the finding of Smile-Link's breach and the imposition of a public reprimand were in accordance with Rule 8.12 of the LEAP LR, following the completion of due process and consideration of all facts and circumstances, including the breach's materiality and impact. It said the breach was viewed seriously as the timely submission of financial statements is a fundamental obligation of listed companies and is essential to ensuring an orderly and fair market, as well as supporting informed investment decisions. 'Bursa Malaysia has also reminded Smile-Link and its board of directors of their responsibilities to maintain the appropriate standards of corporate responsibility and accountability to its shareholders and the investing public,' it added. -- BERNAMA
