The Global Child Forum was founded by the Royal Family in 2009 aiming to stimulate dialogue and leadership and advance children’s rights in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The meeting in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, organized by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, gathered over 280 leaders and decision-makers from governments, business, civil society and academia in 26 countries to discuss the current state of children’s rights in the ASEAN region.

After the meeting the King and the Queen travelled to the historic city of Melaka. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The influences of Asia and Europe have given the town a specific multicultural heritage. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century.