SAMARKAND (Uzbekistan), October 22 2026 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sees opportunities to expand cooperation with Malaysia in strengthening child-focused social protection policies, particularly through more effective assistance programmes for vulnerable families.
UNICEF Global Programme Division Senior Advisor on Social Protection Pamela Dale said the organisation already maintains strong cooperation with Malaysia, with further collaboration possible in developing social protection systems, improving assistance programmes and assessing the financial resources required for implementation.
“I’m very pleased to say that we have an active UNICEF office in Malaysia and a strong cooperation. I think there is always room for us to expand that if there’s interest from partners,” she told Bernama on the sidelines of the World Summit on Investing in Children’s Wellbeing: A Path Towards Sustainable and Just Development for Future Generations on Wednesday.
In Malaysia, UNICEF has been working with government agencies and other partners on initiatives to strengthen child welfare, including the ASUH KL cash-plus nutrition programme for low-income families.
According to UNICEF Malaysia’s 2025 Annual Report, the programme, implemented with Kuala Lumpur City Hall and supported by the Finance Ministry, enrolled 650 children under five and pregnant mothers living in low-cost housing. Participants received RM150 monthly, alongside nutrition guidance and community support.
Dale said UNICEF has extensive experience working with governments and partners across Southeast Asia and globally, providing technical expertise and facilitating the exchange of best practices in social protection.
Its cooperation with governments covers the development of social protection systems, individual assistance programmes, cost assessments and investment planning to help policymakers determine the funding needed for implementation.
She added that international platforms provide opportunities for Malaysia and other participating countries to exchange experiences and learn from successful government-led initiatives.
On financial assistance for low-income families, Dale said well-designed and adequately funded cash transfers could help reduce child poverty while delivering long-term benefits.
She said decades of research had shown that effective social protection programmes could provide immediate relief to vulnerable households while enabling families to invest in their children’s education, nutrition, healthcare, overall development and future opportunities.
Addressing challenges in social protection systems across Southeast Asia, Dale said countries faced different circumstances and starting points, making it difficult to identify a single challenge affecting the entire region.
However, she highlighted the need for social protection systems to remain responsive to rapidly changing global conditions, including demographic shifts, climate change, natural disasters and conflicts.
Dale noted that some countries were experiencing ageing populations, while others had growing youth populations, requiring governments to adapt their policies to changing needs.
She also stressed the importance of developing flexible systems capable of expanding assistance during emergencies, particularly as climate-related crises and conflicts increase the need for immediate support.
Continued investment, she said, was essential to ensure social protection mechanisms could respond effectively to current challenges and provide timely assistance to vulnerable communities.
The two-day summit, which began on Wednesday, brings together about 600 representatives from governments, international organisations and experts from more than 100 countries to discuss investments in children’s wellbeing, including social protection, healthcare, education and sustainable development.
-BERNAMA
