FFA Training on Private Sector Engagement for Civil Society Organization

The adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development require multi-stakeholder partnerships. Public and private sector actors need to work together at scale to mobilize all resources to achieve the SDGs’ ambitious targets. The challenges to financing SDGs is not only about mobilizing more money, but rather related to effective governance and how public and private actors interact with each other to achieve the results of three dimensions of Sustainable Development: economic, social, and environment.

From private sectors’ side, financial institutions that have the capacity and capability to mobilize funds raised from the communities are central actors on accelerating investment to achieve commitment of Paris Agreement and SDGs. However, it can’t be denied that the financial institution investment can harm the environment and societies. Therefore, finance service actor's commitment to implement sustainable principles on credit and investment policy are very essentials. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) can play a key role to influence investors and business to integrate SDGs into their decision making and practices; and supporting the government to establish enabling policy and regulatory environments.

There has been a growing concern among financial institutions worldwide that environmental risks can be sources of financial risks including increased exposure to credit default, hence it is important for Financial Institutions to integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues on its credit and investment policy. In addition, The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) data also suggests that the total sustainable investment has reached US$ 30.7 trillion in 2018, a growth rate of 34 percent over the past two years which shows an increase in the demand for sustainable finance product at a global level.

ResponsiBank Indonesia has been working closely with the government and private sectors to advance the regulation and implementation of sustainable finance. Not only to support the achievement of SDGs Agenda, but also to connect business practices with environmental, social, and governance responsibility. To achieve SDGs, partnerships among CSOs, government, and private sector

On November 11-12, 2019, ResponsiBank Indonesia had the privilege to host “Private Sector Engagemement for Civil Society Organizations” Training in collaboration with CSR Asia and Fair Finance Asia (FFA) Programme, at DoubleTree Hotel, Jakarta. The training was delivered by Mr. Richard Welford, Chairman of CSR Asia, who has been an expert in the fields of environmental management and social responsibility and has been working closely with private sectors for over thirty years. This training aims that CSOs will be better equipped for approaching partners to align goals, outcomes and initiatives to further build on their strategy for engaging with sustainable development challenges.