Key Takeaways:
- $1.5 Trillion SDG Financing Gap: Asia-Pacific faces a significant shortfall in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), requiring innovative financial solutions.
- Investor and Corporate Leadership: CEOs, CFOs, and institutional investors explored strategies to integrate sustainability factors into financial decision-making.
- Actionable Commitments: The roundtable emphasized aligning financial strategies with sustainability, addressing policy barriers, and enhancing biodiversity and climate-risk reporting.
High-Level Roundtable on Sustainable Finance
The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) convened a high-impact Executive Roundtable on Sustainable Finance in Singapore, focusing on mobilizing private and institutional capital for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific. The region faces an annual $1.5 trillion SDG financing gap, highlighting the urgency for innovative financial mechanisms to drive inclusive growth and climate resilience.
Key Themes and Discussions
The roundtable centered on two major areas:
1. Financing for Development
Executives and investors discussed increasing capital flows into emerging markets, addressing investment barriers, and aligning financial markets with long-term sustainability objectives.
2. Biodiversity & Climate Finance
Leaders explored how businesses and investors can integrate biodiversity and nature-based solutions into investment frameworks, ensuring capital supports climate resilience and ecosystem restoration.
Calls for Private Sector Leadership
Neha Das, Head of Asia & Oceania at UN Global Compact, stressed corporate responsibility in advancing sustainable finance:
“Achieving the SDGs requires bold leadership and concrete action from the private sector. By embedding sustainability into business and investment strategies, companies and financial institutions can accelerate progress toward a more resilient and equitable global economy.”
David Atkin, CEO of PRI, underscored the role of institutional investors:
“Institutional investors have a fiduciary responsibility to consider sustainability-related factors in their investment and ownership decisions. Alongside investor action, an enabling policy environment has a critical role in advancing sustainable finance.”
Future Action & Commitment
The roundtable concluded with a call to action urging businesses and investors to:
- Align corporate financial strategies with sustainability principles.
- Collaborate with policymakers to strengthen regulatory frameworks.
- Enhance standardized reporting on biodiversity and climate-related financial risks.
This event sets the stage for deeper engagement at future UN Global Compact initiatives, reinforcing the commitment to scaling sustainable finance solutions across the Asia-Pacific region.
