Dato’ Seri Maimunah Sharif

As of August 15, 2024, Dato’ Seri Maimunah Sharif has been appointed as the new mayor of Kuala Lumpur, a role she sees as an opportunity to help make the city more liveable, loveable, and inclusive. Her focus includes governance reforms at Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) that are in line with the national reform agenda, aiming to create a more responsive, effective, efficient, and transparent administration. “We all want DBKL to be more responsive, effective, efficient, and transparent,” she says, emphasising the need for community collaboration to ensure Kuala Lumpur remains a city of hope and dreams.

Prior to this, Maimunah served as the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) from January 2018 to January 2024. Based at the organisation’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, she was re-elected by the UN General Assembly in 2022, extending her tenure by two years. As the first Asian woman to hold this position, Maimunah spearheaded the revitalisation of UN-Habitat, repositioning it as a leader in housing, shelter, and sustainable urbanisation. Her efforts left a significant mark: during her tenure, UN-Habitat expanded its impact to over 1,600 cities in 93 countries, with a budget of over US$ 1.1 billion, predominantly benefiting developing countries. Reflecting on her time at the UN, she notes, “I am very grateful for the support of member states and my colleagues for the turnaround achieved.”

Maimunah is celebrated for her people-centric approach to urban planning, particularly through her championing of the Women-Led Cities global initiative. She highlights the critical need for greater female representation in leadership roles, noting that women currently lead just 5 per cent of the world’s cities. “If we continue on this current trajectory, the political gender gap is expected to take more than 145 years to close and the economic gender gap will take 265 years,” she warns. She initiated the Women-Led Cities initiative during the UN Habitat Assembly, emphasising the importance of empowering women in city management and the broader built environment profession.

Before her international role, Maimunah served as the mayor of Penang Island and was the first woman president of the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai in 2011. Her tenure in Penang was marked by efforts to make the region a “cleaner, greener, safer, and healthier place to work, live, invest, and play.” She is particularly proud of her role in implementing Gender-Responsive Participatory Budgeting and Planning, ensuring that gender perspectives are integrated into the government’s decision-making processes.

Now, back in Malaysia, she is eager to shape Kuala Lumpur’s future. Her vision includes creating more open green spaces, improving public housing, and enhancing the city’s cultural vibrancy, all while ensuring that no one is left behind. She is especially focused on transforming Downtown KL into a Creative and Cultural District, a vision outlined in the KL 2040 Structure Plan. Collaborations with Khazanah Nasional on historic conservation projects like the restoration of Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad are central to this effort. Additionally, Maimunah is leading DBKL’s Zero Waste initiative, partnering with the Global Zero Waste Foundation, and working towards making Kuala Lumpur Malaysia’s first Zero Waste city.