Sultan Nazrin Urges ASEAN To Adopt ‘Planetary Health’ As Formal ASEAN Security Pillar
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, has urged the 8th Putrajaya Forum to adopt ‘planetary health’ as a formal pillar of ASEAN’s comprehensive security framework, asserting that it is a strategic reality rather than a gesture of environmental conscience.
His Royal Highness said that a region unable to feed itself, water itself, or protect its coastlines from inundation cannot be secure in any meaningful sense, regardless of the sophistication of its military technologies.
“Environmental security is not a luxury agenda to be deferred until wealthier times. It is the foundation on which every other aspect of planetary and human security rests,” he said in his keynote address at the forum here today.
Sultan Nazrin noted that security challenges currently facing the ASEAN region are numerous and varied, including territorial and maritime disputes, extreme poverty, ethnic animosities and separatist movements, as well as extensive corruption, human rights abuses, drug trafficking, illegal immigration and smuggling.
“Each one of these challenges can be mitigated through the considered and equitable deployment of technology. Yet, if applied carelessly or in the service of narrow interests, technology could instead exacerbate them all,” he said.
In addition, Sultan Nazrin noted that while competition drives innovation, cooperation is what gives it meaning to ASEAN, adding that true security lies in working together rather than in isolation.
“Intelligence without ethics is dangerous. Capability without accountability is reckless. Progress without equity is, ultimately, unsustainable,” he cautioned.
Sultan Nazrin said security, properly understood, is not merely the absence of threat but the presence of trust, resilience and shared purpose, adding that ASEAN’s strength has always lain in its ability to navigate complexity through dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect.
Touching on immediate economic threats, His Royal Highness said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting the economic security of every ASEAN country, as surging prices of energy, fertilisers and transport drive up food prices and production costs while fuelling inflation.
“An economic crisis is looming. Livelihoods will continue to be affected for months even if the Strait is reopened in the near-term. It is therefore imperative that negotiations to end the West Asian conflict are speedily and successfully concluded,” he said.
The Putrajaya Forum 2026 is part of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security Asia (NATSEC Asia) 2026 exhibitions, which kicked off yesterday and will run until Thursday, with the theme “ASEAN Security at the Edge of Emerging Technologies”.
-- BERNAMA
