Inclusive Sustainable Growth

Global consumption is increasing in the wake of post-pandemic reopening. At the same time, policymakers, businesses, and consumers are conscious of the dangers posed by deforestation and loss of biodiversity. At the COP26 and COP27 climate talks, countries made pledges to protect and restore the world’s forests. Within the ASEAN region, Indonesia has set an ambitious target of turning its forestry and other land use (FOLU) sector into a net carbon sink by 2030. Other Southeast Asian economies are expected to adopt similar pathways on the road to net zero.

ASEAN’s plantation sector will be at the forefront of the region’s transition. Agribusinesses will need to meet tighter environmental requirements from global supply chains. Beyond meeting the market’s demand for commodities, agribusinesses will play a role in emerging areas such as the use of biomass in electricity generation. Cross-border and multi-stakeholder cooperation is needed to ensure that products from the region are seen as green on the global stage, and that the global low-carbon transition is also a just transition for ASEAN.

Even as ASEAN looks to the future, there is also some immediate urgency in 2023. The weather is turning drier after three years of unusually high rainfall, going from La Niña to El Niño conditions, increasing the risk of forest and land fires in the region. In this context, businesses and policymakers must work to ensure that plantations and forests remain a source of climate opportunities rather than a source of climate risks.

The 10th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources (SWR) will explore the following questions:

  • How can ASEAN economies make use of their resources and natural capital to enable the green transition, and how can businesses and financial institutions in Singapore support this?
  • How will anti-deforestation regulations affect global trade? How can ASEAN and developed economies work together to support livelihoods and the region’s green transition?
  • What are the opportunities for businesses and investors in ASEAN’s plantation and commodities sector, amidst the global demand for sustainable products and clean energy?

 

Highlights

This year’s SWR marks the 10th anniversary of the dialogue. The 10th SWR will take a retrospective look at the ASEAN region’s progress in achieving sustainability in the agribusiness sector and past milestones of the SWR platform, while also looking ahead at the emerging trends shaping climate action and ESG. For the past decade the SWR has brought together stakeholders from different sectors to discuss solutions for a more sustainable ASEAN. The SIIA invites private sector companies to highlight or announce sustainability commitments and frameworks at the 10th SWR.  

The SWR attracts significant media coverage and has been featured prominently on platforms including Antara News, Bangkok Post, BBC, Bernama, Channel NewsAsia, Eco-Business, the Jakarta Post, Lianhe Zaobao, The Straits Times, and TODAY. 

 

Target Audience

Around 300 ASEAN stakeholders will be invited to participate in person. These include delegates from government agencies, private sector representatives, especially those from the agribusiness and forestry sectors, financial institutions, non-governmental organisations, as well as academics and members of the media. 

Donors

Gold Donor

Donor

Supporting Organisation

Organised by

The SIIA is a non-profit, independent think-tank committed to dialogues and policy analyses of regional and international issues. We aim to contribute to a region that is inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous – An integrated, sustainable, and globally competitive ASEAN and a Singapore that is an open, dynamic hub and responsive node.

While providing a broad platform on global issues, the SIIA focuses on the region. Our work serves as a bridge between policymakers, business leaders, and other stakeholders to nudge policy change through dialogue and collective action. Our events serve as platforms for discourse and collaboration for different sectors and countries.

We have been consistently ranked as one of the leading think tanks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in the Global Go-To Think Tank Index by the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2017, the SIIA was ranked the No. 1 independent think tank in Asia. In 2020, we were also recognised as one of the think tanks with the best policy and institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit us at www.siiaonline.org.

About the SIIA’s Sustainability Programme

Our Sustainability Programme began in 1997 with the co-organised first dialogue on the critical haze problem. Our Programme has evolved to address a broader range of sustainability issues like agribusiness and forestry supply chains as well as leveraging green finance and climate concerns to advance ASEAN’s carbon goals. Since 2014, the Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources (SWR) provides a platform for discussion in the region about key sustainability challenges including the haze.

Contact Us

Singapore Institute of International Affairs

60A Orchard Road #04-03
Tower 1 The Atrium@Orchard,
International Involvement Hub
Singapore 238890

View location in Google Maps

Tel: +65 6734 9600
Fax: +65 6733 6217
Website: www.siiaonline.org
Email us at events@siiaonline.org