Kuala Lampur, May 19 -- MAY 19 - As world leaders and scientists gather in Hiroshima this week for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), it is a timely moment to reflect on why Antarctica, the world's most remote continent, matters deeply to a tropical nation like Malaysia.

Although separated from Antarctica by thousands of kilometres, Malaysia has long played a distinctive role in shaping international Antarctic discourse. In the 1980s, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad brought Malaysia's voice to the United Nations, calling for more equitable governance of Antarctica and greater participation of developing nations in decisions affecting this shared global space. That advocacy helped set the tone for Malaysia's c...