Message from Chairman

Assalamualaikum,

On behalf of the organising committee. I am truly honoured and overwhelmed to welcome all distinguished guests and delegates to the International Conference on Natural Products 2024 (ICNP202), Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan Pahang.

It is a great pleasure and opportunity for International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to be the main organiser of this year’s meeting. ICNP was first held as Seminar Tahunan Sebatian Semulajadi to promote natural product research in Malaysia before it was broadening its direction and scope to an international setting. The meeting was formally registered as the Malaysian Natural Products Society (MNPS) in 1995. Since then, the meeting has been organized annually in Malaysia to promote networking and research culture in natural products agenda. Nowadays, the conference has become an important natural products meeting in Malaysia and regional regions.

‘Empowering Natural Products Research: Uniting Through Translational Approach and Innovation’, which aspires to increase the multidirectional unification efforts of natural products research on a larger scale and then translate it into a form that can be manipulated through the latest innovation for the betterment of the mankind.

Without a doubt, Malaysia has been blessed with an amazing diversity of biodiversity. At least 16,000 plant species in Malaysia, including about 8,000 species in Peninsular Malaysia and about 13,000 species in eastern Malaysia. Of those figures, at least 3000 plants have medicinal value that can be utilized. Out of that number, there are thousands of scientific research involving natural products but have not yet reached the level of routine human use. Meanwhile, the rapid urbanization in urban areas has caused our natural resources to almost disappear to an alarming level with it being estimated that the natural forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia has decreased from 70% in the 1970s to 45% in 1997. Therefore, a sustainable approach to Natural product research is essential in ensuring the preservation of our biodiversity for future generations.

The conference aims to promote sustainable scientific discoveries from trees to people’s daily routines and serves as a platform to foster stronger research collaborations. I would like to express my appreciation to our strategic partners including industry players, research institutes and universities who have accepted our invitation to be part of this scholarly gathering. The undivided support from all parties is very helpful in ensuring that the implementation of this annual conference runs smoothly and perfectly.

Wishing all delegates an enjoyable and fruitful meeting.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Mohd Shukri Baba
Chairperson, International Conference on Natural Products 2024 (ICNP2024)
Head, Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity (SC4SH), IIUM Kuantan
Senior Lecturer, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, IIUM Kuantan.