KUALA LUMPUR: As Southeast Asia faces mounting challenges from climate change, energy transition, and ESG compliance, Sarawak is stepping up as a legal and policy thought leader, charting a path for responsible development in the region.
This commitment was highlighted at the “Arbitrating Sustainability in Southeast Asia” forum, organised by the Malaysian Bar Council in conjunction with KL ADR Week 2025, where senior government officials and legal experts from across ASEAN gathered to discuss the crucial role of arbitration and dispute resolution in promoting sustainable growth.
The high-level forum featured a distinguished regional panel, comprising representatives from the Philippines’ Solicitor General’s Office and leading arbitration practitioners from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, reflecting the cross-border urgency of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.
“Sarawak is not just responding to global sustainability trends; we are helping define what responsible development looks like in this part of the world.
“We do not see sustainability and economic growth as opposing forces. In Sarawak, there are two sides of the same coin, and we are building the policy ecosystem to prove it,” said Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Sarawak, during his keynote address.
Dr Hazland emphasised that robust legal and regulatory frameworks are vital to attracting green investment and ensuring good governance in the region.
“Regulatory certainty is key to attracting green investment.
“That is why Sarawak supports legal innovation, not just in legislation, but in dispute resolution,” he added.
Opening the forum, Abang Iwawan, Chair of the Bar Council Arbitration and Construction Law Committee, highlighted the transformative legal shifts sweeping across Southeast Asia.
“Across Southeast Asia, sustainability is no longer a buzzword; it is a site of legal transformation.
“Governments are codifying climate responsibilities, investors are embedding ESG safeguards, and infrastructure projects are being shaped by carbon disclosure regimes and Indigenous rights.
“These shifts raise urgent legal questions that cut across contracts, regulatory frameworks, and dispute resolution,” he said.
As commercial, legal, and environmental priorities increasingly intersect, ASEAN jurisdictions are no longer merely adapting to global sustainability standards; they are actively helping to set them.
From pioneering clean energy initiatives to developing sustainable infrastructure models, countries across the region are emerging as key players in legal and commercial innovation in response to global environmental challenges.
