The 5th Responsible Business Forum (RBF) on Sustainable Development was held in Singapore on 22-24 November 2016 at Marina Bay. During this Forum, delegates examined each of the 17 SDGs in-depth with case studies and perspectives from businesses, governments, UN agencies, investors and international experts.
With 34 SDG workshops to choose from, delegates designed their own RBF 2016 agenda around the goals most relevant to their organisations and participated in discussions around action, innovation and collaboration. The Forum also aided companies to better understand the SDGs and the opportunities in supporting governments to achieve them.
In the workshop on the "Life On Land" SDG for "Sustainable Development Goals", Justin Adams, Global Managing Director, Lands of The Nature Conservancy facilitated a conversation between Jemmy Chayadi, Vice President, Sustainability, APRIL; U Tin Htut, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Myanmar; and Moray McLeish, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Asia, Olam International. Through their short session, they discussed ways to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. On the topic of forest torching, the panellists proposed that close cooperation with the government is required to provide alternative means for the farmers to earn a livelihood.
At the Forum, there was also the opportunity to hear from the teams in the ASEAN Impact Challenge. The Challenge is designed to encourage, empower and support innovators across ASEAN to work for social progress through business. It was encouraging to see the youths of today showcasing their incredible ideas to improve social progress across the region.
For more on the Forum, visit www.responsiblebusiness.com for the details.
