KUALA LUMPUR, August 6 - Forward Faster Now urges companies to take ambitious and credible action towards specific, measurable sustainability targets. This initiative aims to accelerate progress across all 17 SDGs, focusing on areas where companies can collectively make the biggest, fastest impact by 2030.
The SDG Stocktake Report 2024 reveals that over 97% of business leaders in the Asia and Oceania region understand how their business impacts the SDGs. Leveraging this insight, the United Nations Global Compact Forward Faster Now hosted its first regional flagship event in Asia and Oceania through the Forward Faster initiative. This event serves as a platform for discussing strategies and scalable solutions tailored to the region's unique context.
With the theme ‘Accelerating Sustainable Business in Asia & Oceania’, this event drew over 300 high-level executives, sustainability practitioners and business leaders from across Asia and Oceania to the Asia School of Business for two days, fostering a dynamic environment for thought-provoking discussion and collaboration.
Organised by the UN Global Compact in collaboration with 15 Global Compact Country Networks and hosted by the UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB), the event featured nearly 70 high-profile speakers. The inauguration was led by Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Energy Transition & Water Transformation, YB Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah bin Mohd Nasir, and Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the UN Global Compact.
“We must challenge Malaysian companies to move Forward Faster Now, aligning with the government’s agenda to accelerate sustainable development. This event serves as a crucial platform for businesses to set ambitious targets in key areas like gender equality, climate action, sustainable finance, living wage, and water resilience, all vital for our country’s future. By participating, companies not only contribute to achieving the global goals, but this will also strengthen Malaysia’s position in leading sustainable business practices”.
YB Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah alongside Faroze Nadar, Executive Director of UNGCMYB and Euan Smith, Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro Malaysia Holding Berhad then launched Forward Faster Louder Programme, signifying a collaborative effort towards amplifying sustainability impact stories. The event proceeded with its first discussion, featuring a high-level CEO panel. Business leaders shared their experiences and insights on driving sustainable development, managing crises, and responding to sustainability challenges. The panellist included Mohamed Adlan Tajudin, CEO of EDOTCO Group; Euan Smith, Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad; Olivier de Linares, Director of TotalEnergies Corbion Thailand; Farzanah Chowdury, Managing Director and CEO of Green Delta Insurance Company Ltd; and Sandra Wu, Chairperson and CEO of the Kokusai Kogyo and board member of Global Compact Network Japan.
Over the days, key topics included an overview of how global companies integrate SDGs into their strategies and operations, discussions on promoting gender equality through increased women’s representation in senior management, and showcasing innovative solutions by young executives from the SDG Innovation Accelerator Programme. Additionally, the event addressed the transformation of food systems and the private sector's role in ensuring future food security.
In addition to providing valuable insights on the practical application of sustainability principles, the event also featured the launch of impact stories. These stories showcased the region's commitment to driving progress and offered an in-depth look at how businesses are employing innovative and effective strategies to advance sustainable development.
The event concluded with a Closing Plenary delivered by Kanako Fukuda (Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd), Charles Brewer (Pos Malaysia Berhad), Faroze Nadar (UN Global Compact Malaysia & Brunei), and Frank Wang (Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp.). They summarised the outcomes and outlined the next steps, while celebrating the Forward Faster signatories from the region. Select companies were also invited to share their current journeys and future plans.
As of now, more than 300 companies in this region have committed to Forward Faster and continue to grow. We urge companies in Asia & Oceania to commit to the Forward Faster initiative in advancing responsible business practices, as we work towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all.