Malaysia is an upper-middle-income country that is already scoring well in some areas of gender equality and SDG5 indicators (such as female student enrolment in higher education, female labour force participation and women in decision-making roles in the public sector) while lagging behind on the implementation of international human rights agreements, particularly with regards to women, girls and LGBTIQ persons.

There are significant gaps that continue to exist in the implementation of constitutional provisions, laws and policies around gender equality in Malaysia which are mainly the result of a lack of governance and implementation mechanisms to hold duty-bearers accountable.

ARROW together with our partners Federation of Reproductive Health Associations, Malaysia (FRHAM), Reproductive Health Association of Kelantan (ReHAK), and Justice for Sisters (JFS) launched the Gender Equality Initiative in Malaysia (GEI).

Since its inception, the project has witnessed significant joint collaborations and partnerships between various stakeholders including the government, international and UN agencies, and civil society organisations coming together to advance the status of gender equality in Malaysia.

Continuing the groundwork laid over the previous two and a half years, in 2023, ARROW together with our partners, SEED, Justice for Sisters (JFS), PLUHO, Kemban Kolektif, and Reproductive Health Association of Kelantan (ReHAK)  launched the Gender Equality Initiative in Malaysia V.2., which aims to ensure the full and effective inclusion of LGBTIQ people, women, girls and youth in all their diversity in democratic development and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Malaysia.