JAKARTA: Malaysia has proposed the formal establishment and launch of the Asean Halal Council in the country in September 2027 as part of efforts to turn the idea of a regional halal council into a functioning institution, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Malaysia is also prepared to serve as the council’s secretariat, subject to the agreement of Asean member states and partners, while proposing Indonesia as its inaugural chair.

“Malaysia and Indonesia first put forward this idea last year. Today, I believe the time has come to move from discussion to institution,” he said in his keynote address at the fifth Halal 20 (H20) Summit here yesterday.

He first proposed the Asean Halal Council during a Malaysia-Indonesia halal industry roundtable and his meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in Jakarta in April 2025, with both countries agreeing a month later to jointly spearhead its formation.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also chairman of the Halal Industry Development Council, said the proposal has been submitted to the Asean Secretariat and will be brought to the Asean Summit in Manila for endorsement.

“Between now and then, we must put in place the council’s mandate, governance and first deliverables so that it is ready to act from day one,” he said, Bernama reported,

He also viewed the council as a vital building block towards the proposed World Halal Develop­ment Council, with more talks to be held at the Malaysia Inter­national Halal Showcase in Kuala Lumpur later this month.