ASEAN CSR Network April 2017 Newsletter

Promoting and enabling
responsible business conduct in ASEAN

Highlights

​ASEAN CSR Fellowship in Indonesia
​

The ASEAN CSR Fellowship traveled to Indonesia from 3-7 April for the second part of their programme. The Fellows spent 5 days in Jakarta learning about the status and key challenges and opportunities for responsible business practices in ASEAN and Indonesia. Some of the key topics that were discussed included business and human rights, business and environment, youth empowerment, and partnerships for development. The Indonesia programme was organised by ACN in partnership with Indonesia Business Links. More details can be found here.

Upcoming Event

Announcement

Regional Conference on Business & Human Rights (1-2 June 2017, Bangkok)
 

​Organised by the Ministry of Justice of Thailand, UNDP, ACN and UN ESCAP, this regional conference plans to discuss the implementation of the ASEAN Regional Strategy on CSR and Human Rights to drive dissemination and implementation of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” pillars of the UNGPs. This event is by invite only.

​
ASEAN Business Awards 2017​
 

The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in partnership with the Philippine government launched the ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards. Under the Special Awards category of the ASEAN Business Awards (ABA), it is the first in the region to recognize innovative businesses creating social impact. Nominations are already on-going until 31st May 2017.

​For more details, you may visit www.aba2017.com. Should you have any inquiries, please feel free to contact Mr. Lorenzo Cordova at email asean.ibawards@gmail.com. You may also download the nomination form via this link http://bit.ly/2nRmLeq.

​Past Events
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​Launch of the Regional Integrity Pledge​
 

Launched during the Regional Working Group on Businesss Integrity in ASEAN which was held on the 7th March 2017, the "Integrity Has No Borders" Pledge, is a voluntary document that permits signatories to make a commitment to uphold ethical values at the enterprise /organisational, national and regional level. Companies, organisations, NGOs, governments, civil society organisations and international agencies are welcome to join the Pledge by clicking here.​
 

​Stakeholders Consultations on Financial Inclusion
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As part of a year-long research project on financial inclusion towards inclusive and sustainable growth in ASEAN, we are conducting a series of stakeholders consultations to understand the current gaps faced by MSMEs to gain access to finance as well as to explore potential solutions to the challenges. The first two consultations took place in Manila (26 April) and Jakarta (3 May) where we met with different stakeholders– entrepreneurs, farmer networks, women’s groups, ASEAN Secretariat and bodies to seek inputs to refine initial findings and recommendations. Final report with policy recommendations will be submitted to ASEAN in September 2017. The research is conducted by ACN in partnership with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Oxfam, and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Government of Sweden through its Embassy in Bangkok.​ Read more here.

ASEAN Prosperity for All Summit, 28 April 2017 (Manila)
 

​The ASEAN Business Advisory Council hosted the first “Prosperity for All Summit” on April 28 at the City of Dreams Manila. With the theme, “Driving growth through micro and small entrepreneurs in trade, services and agriculture,” the summit aimed to pursue genuine and inclusive growth and prosperity for the ASEAN community. At the heart of the summit was the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) where a majority remain within the poverty line and whose means of livelihood and economic future remain uncertain despite developments in the establishment of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community). Read and watch more here.

​Forum of Entities Associated with ASEAN, 4 May 2017 (Jakarta)​
 

The ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) continued to strengthen engagement between ASEAN and its entities and encourage joint collaboration among the entities. To that end, ASEC is planning to gather all entities associated with ASEAN as well as its’ related centers and/or institutions together in the Secretariat. More details can be found here.

Launch of SS ISO 37001 - Anti-Bribery Management Systems on 12 April 2017 (Singapore)
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SPRING Singapore and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) launched the Singapore Standard (SS) ISO 37001 on Anti-bribery management systems – Requirements with guidance for use on the 12th. Companies in Singapore can enhance their anti-bribery controls by adopting SS ISO 37001. For more info, see the official press release here.

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Small Grants Fund Deadline
 

​The ASEAN CSR Vision 2020 Small Grants Fund is offered by the ASEAN CSR Network to provide access to supplementary funding (from 3,000 SGD to 10,000 SGD) to local and regional organisations who are engaged in work to promote CSR and with an interest to link their work to regional objectives.

​The deadline for the SGF will be 15 May 2017. If you have not done so, kindly submit your proposal by then. Click here for more information..

Interesting Read

Cost of renewables fell in 2016, lowering global investment in clean energy
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The world added record levels of renewable energy capacity in 2016, even as investment in clean energy fell, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported. For the full article, click here.

The Fate of Coal in the ASEAN
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The Philippines opened its doors to leaders of its neighboring Southeast Asian countries for the 30th ASEAN Summit and the celebration of 50 years of its existence. With the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” the Summit expressed the region’s optimistic attitude towards a changing global landscape. Considering the economic strides the Southeast Asia has reached in recent years, with the region’s share of global GDP rising from 5.9% to 7.7%, it seems that such optimism was well-founded. Read the full article here.
 

Has the conversation about palm oil moved from environment to people?
 

Cleaning up the oil palm industry's supply chains must go beyond environmental impact to the workforce. Fair working conditions and better lives for smallholders must be front and centre, say industry leaders. Read the rest here.

ASEAN continues to stride forward with its regional integration efforts with a view to narrowing the development gap and delivering more benefits to more people. A factsheet has been done up and it highlights the progress of the three ASEAN Community pillars and priorities as the grouping celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017.