It also suffers rampant poverty and worsening impacts of climate change. While there are scientific and technological remedies to some of the problems, the Tropics needs solutions that are designed for its challenges while harnessing its values.  

The Mahathir Science Award Foundation and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia are convening a Conference to provide a platform to bring together stakeholders to position the Tropics in the context of global development and identify needed interventions by government, private sector and academia. High level policy makers, industry captains and researchers will be invited to engage in a collaborative environment. The conference will address Tropical Agriculture, Tropical Architecture and Engineering, Tropical Medicine and Tropical Natural Resources. Curated discussions under these themes include Changing Landscape of Agriculture in the Tropics, Smart Cities in the Tropics, Sustainable Blue Economy in the Tropics and the One Health Approach to Tropical Health.