PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA DATO' SRI ANIFAH AMAN
ON THE PARTICIPATION OF THE ISRAELI DELEGATION IN THE 9th WORLD URBAN FORUM IN KUALA LUMPUR
7 – 13 FEBRUARY 2018
There have been attempts by some irresponsible parties to gain political mileage out of Israel's participation in the 9th World Urban Forum (WUF9), which was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 7 to 13 February 2018.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify that Israel's participation was based on an invitation issued by the United Nations, through its agency the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the convenor of WUF9.
3. The invitation to Israel, signed by the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, was in accordance to the Host Country Agreement signed between that organisation and Malaysia. Article III of the Agreement states, in part, that participation in the Forum shall be open, among others, to all the Member States of the United Nations and any of its Specialised Agencies. Signing the Host Country Agreement is a requirement for any UN conference to be held away from any of the UN's established headquarters.
4. It needs to be emphasised that unlike the other letters of invitation, the letter of invitation to Israel was not signed by any Malaysian official. Therefore, the issue of Malaysia tacitly establishing links with Israel through the hosting of this Forum does not arise. Our position on Israel remains unchanged. To imply otherwise is an indication of malicious and malignant intent.
5. It should be noted that WUF9 was widely acknowledged to have been a success. It raised Malaysia's profile and showcased Malaysia's achievements in the promotion, articulation and implementation of the New Urban Agenda. It saw the participation of more than 25,000 people, with 69 countries being represented at the Ministerial level. All Malaysians should be proud of our country's successful hosting of this prestigious and important Forum.
DATO' SRI ANIFAH AMAN
Minister of Foreign Affairs
15 February 2018
