Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business

The ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) recognizes climate change as an urgent global and regional challenge to address in partnership with businesses, governments and communities.

We welcome the international commitments to address sustainability and climate change including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact. This pact recognized it is time to go “into emergency mode”, to take actions including ending fossil fuel subsidies, phasing out coal, putting a price on carbon, halting and reversing deforestation, protecting vulnerable communities, and delivering on the $100 billion climate finance commitment.

ESCAP Sustainable Business Network stands united in advocating business action and innovation to transition to a low carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable new economy. We are committed to sharing best practices in the private sector and related policies and measures and to working in partnership with all stakeholders, including governments and communities.

We have formulated the Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business to demonstrate our conviction that businesses must take a leading role in the green transformation of our region, for the good and commitment of the world. In the Asia-Pacific region, we are committed to balancing our development aspirations with our responsibility to protect the Earth. The Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business is all about harnessing transformational opportunities of a new green economy. It is more than building back better, it is about building back stronger and smarter.

The new green economy will generate new technologies and industries enhancing resource efficiency and phasing out polluting industries, including greenhouse gas emissions. The new green economy will create sustainable, quality jobs for a just transition. It will focus on sustainable economic development and replace outmoded forms of economic development that depleted natural resources and degraded our natural environment.

We, the members of ESBN, call on Asia-Pacific businesses to pledge support for the United Nations Global Compact and environmental, social and governance principles.

With these aspirations, we seek clarity and policy predictability to move forward as a region towards renewable energy, sustainable transport, green cities, water supply and sustainable food production, so as to generate less waste, improve resilience to climate change and disasters and strengthen our commitment to environmental protection. This must be our shared mission. We need regional cooperation, rules, norms and standards, aligned with multilateral cooperation, to drive the change to green finance, green tech, green materials, green logistics and green waste. This must be our shared action plan. We need a business environment that fosters research, development and innovation to create integrated solutions from the low cost, more efficient, clean, green and safe industries for the next decade. This must be our shared innovation culture.

We, the members of ESBN, have identified five business actions to pursue the Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business. We will advocate for these actions to businesses across our region, in the lead up to and beyond the launch of the Asia- Pacific Green Deal for Business at our premier regional business event, the Asia- Pacific Business Forum. We will actively support local actions and initiatives across the region through our task forces, to implement the spirit of the Asia- Pacific Green Deal for Business. We will implement green values in how we communicate and engage with partners and support green research, education and innovation to share the latest best practices and knowledge for practical implementation of the new green economy

We, the members of ESBN, are committed to taking these practical steps to live up to our potential, and to substantively answer this century’s great challenge. This Declaration is our call for businesses across Asia and the Pacific to take a leadership role on climate actions.

1. Advancing a zero carbon, affordable and resilient energy system. The energy system must be decarbonized in accordance with the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while providing reliable and affordable access to zero carbon energy for all.
2. Building smart, low carbon, water-secure and climate-resilient cities, infrastructure and mobility. Greenhouse gas emissions from construction and operations of urban infrastructure and its activities, including buildings and transport infrastructure, must be reduced further, while water security and resilience to future crises are strengthened.
3. Mobilizing public and private finance for green transformation. New investment must be directed to sustainable energy, infrastructure, logistics, food production, water supply and other innovations for the new green economy.
4. Accelerating and scaling up innovations for sustainable development. Now is the time to implement new business models and solutions to improve efficiency, lower costs and reduce environmental impact from the way we produce, consume, transport, work, trade and conduct business.
5. Changing towards a more circular economy. New circular production and consumption practices will bring new business and employment opportunities, to maximize resource efficiency and minimize environmental impacts.

Pledge your support for this Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business Declaration:  Pledge Your Business Support