Economic inequality from childhood impacts on all aspects of life, affecting work prospects, educational attainment, and health outcomes. Reducing inequality, therefore, is central to building a better future for millions of people.

From the site of a former mining operation just outside Kuala Lumpur, we are joined by Professor Mahendhiran Sanggaran to discuss how the location is now home to Sunway University, a leading light in Malaysian sustainability research and development for more than 50 years.

Mahendiran’s work includes the Desa Mentari project, and we discover how work among low-income communities can benefit young and old who might be caught up in a polycrisis of health, economics, environmental and social factors. Through encouraging better access to education, the programme assists families in bettering themselves and inspires hope among residents. The models used there could be applied in other housing projects in Malaysia and SE Asia – and even links in with our own Morecambe Bay based initiatives.

Beyond that, we look at the importance of higher education across Southeast Asia – and how students who used to leave the region and never return are now starting to both study and work back at home, thanks in part to partnerships such as that between Sunway and Lancaster University.

Mahendiran tells us about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is made up of 10 nations across the region and home to more than 670 million people. The ASEAN committee is being chaired by Malaysia in 2025, and the words ‘Sustainability and Inclusivity’ can be seen on signs across the city.

We discuss how ASEAN can help close societal gaps within and between countries, how it can ensure long-term sustainable development, whether an integrated transport system across member nations could become a reality, and how this could affect other areas of society and industry through a GRID economy.

Plus, Paul and Mahendiran bond over Liverpool FC, there is more chat on Malaysian thunderstorms – and the effects of climate change on Mahendiran’s own home. Meanwhile, Jan explains what a ‘green’ taxonomy is.

More details on the Desa Mentari project can be found here: https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/desa-mentari/about

You can find out about ASEAN Malaysia here: https://myasean2025.my/about-asean-2025/

Learn more about the 10-10 MySTIE framework here: https://stip.oecd.org/stip/interactive-dashboards/policy-initiatives/2023%2Fdata%2FpolicyInitiatives%2F99991585

Episode Transcript