Supporting JICA Technical Cooperation Project in Sarawak, Malaysia

Tamai Akihiro, Senior Researcher

In June 2025, OECC hosted a workshop on enhancing greenhouse gas emission transparency in Sarawak, Malaysia, a state actively engaged in climate change countermeasures. OECC’s expertise was effectively applied through collaboration with local government bodies and private sector organizations, contributing to the advancement of a sustainable future.

Proactive Climate Action

Sarawak State is one of the local governments that make up the Federation of Malaysia and possesses greater administrative autonomy than Japanese prefectures. Demonstrating a strong commitment to climate action, Sarawak has set a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and announced its “Sustainability Blueprint 2030” in May 2025.

As part of these initiatives, Sarawak has shown keen interest in the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). The state also plans to develop a comprehensive greenhouse gas emission inventory by 2027.

OECC’s Role

OECC possesses deep expertise in enhancing climate change transparency and reducing fluorocarbon emissions.

Transparency refers to the system for quantitatively understanding greenhouse gas emissions, managing mitigation progress, and integrating and reporting this data at the national level. Regarding fluorocarbon emission reduction, OECC participates in a refrigerant lifecycle management promotion project led by the Japanese government, providing technical support.

This workshop was held as part of JICA’s “Project for strengthening capacity pertaining to national reporting obligation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under the Enhanced Transparency Framework.”

OECC oversaw the entire event and introduced various topics. Over 30 participants gathered, engaging in lively discussions on relatively new themes in developing countries.

Discussions also covered policy coordination between the federal and state governments, contributing to laying the groundwork for the efficient implementation of national emission reduction targets.

Future Initiatives

OECC will continue to work on emission reduction projects in Malaysia, collaborating not only with the federal government but also with the local governments.

A similar event is scheduled to be held soon for the Sabah State Government. Further updates on OECC’s activities in Malaysia will be shared in due course.