Sustainability Reporting in ASEAN Countries, November 2018

A joint study on Sustainability Reporting in Singapore by the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO) was conducted to understand the sustainability reporting practices among the five ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

During the period under review, unprecedented developments in some countries, suggesting a turning point in current sustainability reporting landscape, was witnessed.

The study finds an overall disclosure rate of 59.2% for all five ASEAN countries, with Malaysia taking the lead.

Click here to access the report.

Sustainability Reporting in Singapore, November 2018

A joint study on Sustainability Reporting in Singapore by the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO) found that recent changes to Singapore Exchange (SGX) reporting requirements and increasing stakeholder awareness have brought about a new focus on sustainability disclosures.

This study seeks to understand how these changes have impacted the companies in Singapore. Five key insights around the uptake and maturity of sustainability disclosures have been identified.

In addition, the study found a 3% increase in percentage points in the level of disclosure since 2016, with 61.5% of companies adopting recognised frameworks.

Click here to access the report.

 

Recommendations of the Regional Multi-stakeholder Forum: Responsible Business Conduct for Safe Labour Migration in ASEAN

 

The Regional Multi-Stakeholder Forum: Responsible Business Conduct for Safe Labour Migration in ASEAN was convened on 19-20 September 2018 in Pasay City, Manila, the Philippines.The Regional Multi-Stakeholder Forum: Responsible Business Conduct for Safe Labour Migration in ASEAN was convened on 19-20 September 2018 in Pasay City, Manila, the Philippines.

ASEAN Responsible Business Forum 2018 Post-Forum Report

 

The ASEAN Responsible Business Forum was held from 27 to 28 August 2018 in Singapore. This flagship event of the ASEAN CSR Network aims to enhance understanding of the role of responsible and inclusive business in creating an inclusive, resilient and sustainable ASEAN community.

Download the summary report of the event here.

 

Directory: Financing and Technical Support Options for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in ASEAN

Together with our partners, ACN has published a comprehensive directory of Financing and Technical Support Options for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in ASEAN. It provides a comprehensive overview of available financing tools – from traditional finance, such as bank loans, to alternative finance such as crowdfunding and social investing – as well as available technical support such as accelerators and incubators. Significant effort has gone into detailing the options available in all 10 ASEAN Member States. For ASEAN to achieve prosperity for all, efforts must be focused on uplifting the (M)SME sector, accounting for between 88.8% and 99.9% of the total establishments in ASEAN and between 51.7% and 97.2% of total employment.

This directory was a result of a collaboration with our partners - ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), Oxfam and AVPN.

The directory can be found here.

It is also part of a larger research report, entitled 'Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in the ASEAN Economic Community'. The year-long research sheds light on the challenges MSMEs in ASEAN face and presents holistic policy recommendations to further MSME development and realise an inclusive and sustainable ASEAN. The full report can be found here.

Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in the ASEAN Economic Community

ASEAN CSR Network is proud to present the comprehensive report on financial inclusion for MSMEs, titled "Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in the ASEAN Economic Community."  

The focus of the report is on how ASEAN could build up the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, with greater financial and technical support to ensure their growth and prosperity.

The report covering 10 ASEAN Member States is a result of a 12-month study which began in September 2016. The study was jointly conducted by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), Oxfam, ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and AVPN, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Government of Sweden.

The aim of the study is to comprehensively assess the opportunities and challenges faced by MSMEs in ASEAN – particularly those with inclusive and responsible business practices such as Social Enterprises (SEs) – with regards to access to finance, technical support, and an enabling environment for their sustainability and growth.

You may view the full report here.

Click here for a 6 page summary.

ASEAN into the Future: Need For Leadership By Ong Keng Yong

"ASEAN HAS enjoyed a relatively successful and prosperous first 50 years. A key milestone is the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) which laid the foundation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), one of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community. With 2017 marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, it is apt to chart a roadmap of key issues of regional importance for the next five decades. To ensure continued success, ASEAN needs to further consolidate economic integration, capitalise on favourable demographic factors and channel the skills of today’s tech-savvy youth to harness the digital revolution."

To read the rest of the commentary, click here.

 

Enhancing the Competitiveness of Philippine SMEs through CSR Strategies

The paper aims to determine if SMEs in the Philippines are capable of improving their practices to become sustainable, and if these practises would enable them to compete in the global market given the ASEAN integration. The paper also aims to identify the constraints that SMEs face in engaging with CSR practices.

Click the image for the report.

Enhancing the Competitiveness

ISEAS Perspectives: Cambodia Embraces China’s Belt and Road Initiative

perspective 47

The article discusses the following points:

1) The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a new force shaping the global economic order, serving as China’s grand strategy to project its global influence and leadership role through economic and cultural diplomacy.

2) Cambodia enthusiastically supports the initiative, mainly for economic reasons, especially its infrastructure development and production-capacity cooperation elements.

3) BRI is complementary to Cambodia’s national development strategy as it can strengthen the country’s economic competitiveness by diversifying the sources of growth and expanding its economic horizon.

4) However, Cambodia needs to strengthen its governance to maximize opportunities, and the participation of the private sector in infrastructure projects remains limited. Another challenge is the lack of transparency and local community participation.

Multinationals as global institution: Power, authority and relative autonomy

REGO large This article aims to inform the long-standing and unresolved debate between voluntary corporate social responsibility and initiatives to impose binding legal obligations on multinational enterprises. 

ISO 26000 International Guidance on Social Responsibility

iso logo print A non-certifiable standard on CSR. Find more information about the standards here.

Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact

unnamed 10 core CSR principles for businesses including human rights, labour, environment, and business integrity. Find them here.

 

GRI G4 Guidelines and ISO 26000:2010 How to use the GRI G4 Guidelines and ISO 26000 in conjunction

This publication helps to relate the social responsibility guidance given in ISO 26000 to the reporting guidance provided by GRI. In particular, this publication provides crossreferences between the two documents, which can be useful for all organizations to take advantage of the synergies and complementarities of the two initiatives. To download the full publication, please either click on the left image or click here.

ISO Guide 82: Guidelines for addressing sustainability standards

This Guide provides guidance to standards writers on how to take account of sustainability in the drafting, revision and updating of ISO standards and similar deliverables. It aims to raise awareness of sustainability issues arising from the application of ISO standards. To download the full guide, please either click on the left image or click here.

An Introduction to Linkages between UN Global Compact Principles and ISO 260000 Core Subjects

The release of “ISO 26000: Guidance standard on social responsibility”gives a boost to ongoing efforts by the UN Global Compact to establish widespread common understanding of corporate responsibility principles. ISO 26000 and the UN Global Compact are connected by a fundamental belief that organizations should behave in a socially responsible way. This short publication provides a high-level overview of the key linkages between the UN Global Compact's Ten Principles and the core subjects of social responsibility defined by ISO 26000 (human rights, labour practices, the environment,fair operating practices, consumer issues, community involvement). To download the full publication, please either click on the left image or click here.

Conference on Corporate Governance & Responsibility

Singapore, 20-22 July 2016 – The Conference co-organised by ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) and National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO) provided a platform for key stakeholders engaged in teaching, researching and implementing corporate governanced and responsibility to participate in high-level lectures, interactive dialogue and consultation, and sharing of practices and experiences.

Workshop 1: Business Responsibility & Sustainability: Teaching & Researching – Click here to download materials.

Workshop 2: Evidence-Based CSR: Advocacy & Implementation – Click here & here to download materials.

Presentation on Findings of Study on Sustainability Reporting in ASEAN – Click here to download materials.

Presentation on Findings of Study on Business Integrity in ASEAN – Click here to download materials.

Welcome Remarks by ASEAN CSR Network – Click here to download materials.

Ministerial Speech by Guest-of-Honour – Click here to download materials.

Opening Remarks by Sweden Ambassador – Click here to download materials.

Keynote Speech by ASEAN Secretariat – Click here to download materials.

Keynote Lecture – Click here to download materials.