Kuala lumpur: Malaysia has urged Southeast Asian countries to make inclusivity a standard in urban governance through the newly-launched ASEAN Urban Women for Resilience and Transformative Sustainable Actions (AURORA) initiative. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa emphasized the importance of representation, highlighting that although women constitute half of the 680 million people living in ASEAN's urban areas, their presence in decision-making bodies is significantly lacking.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zaliha pointed out that in some ASEAN local councils, women occupy fewer than 20 percent of seats. This disparity influences the prioritization of critical urban issues such as public safety, childcare access, and transport system designs that cater to families and the elderly. AURORA aims to address these challenges by promoting a leadership culture that is both inclusive and responsive, uniting cities across ASEAN to enhance women's participation in governance and improve the quality of urban policies and services for all residents.
In her speech at the 'A Women-Led City Initiative In ASEAN AURORA: ASEAN Urban Women For Resilience And Transformative Sustainable Actions' forum held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Zaliha stressed that cities with active female participation are more likely to adopt policies that are attuned to residents' needs. This includes integrating community safety, social wellbeing, and economic development into urban planning.
Zaliha highlighted Malaysia's success with gender-responsive planning across more than 83 local authorities, which has resulted in improved safety in public spaces, better transport accessibility, and infrastructure that meets the needs of diverse citizens, guided by feedback from women, seniors, persons with disabilities, and caregivers.
The AURORA initiative encourages ASEAN member cities to adopt a voluntary framework that sets targets for women's representation in leadership roles, conducts regular safety assessments of public spaces, and improves public transport accessibility. Zaliha noted that these measures would enable cities to monitor progress, learn from each other, and elevate governance standards across the region.
She concluded by reiterating Malaysia's commitment to collaborating with ASEAN partners to share best practices, build leadership capacity, and ensure that inclusivity becomes a permanent feature of urban governance. The launch of the AURORA initiative was attended by representatives from ASEAN member states, city leaders, civil society groups, and regional partners.