27 November 2014: The Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF), which gathered representatives from businesses and governments, concluded its 11th session with a call for stronger partnerships, noting that corporate social responsibility practices (CSR) are evolving towards “more inclusionary” decision-making processes that involve governments and civil society. The APBF agreed that the private sector, governments and the UN must work together to achieve sustainable, investment-led growth.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with the Government and Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, co-organized the 2014 APBF, which met from 25-27 November, in Colombo. The APBF brought together representatives from 300 business and government leaders to discuss the theme of “Enhancing Regional Business Sustainability and Investment Challenges,” including opportunities for enhancing inter-regional business connectivity, investment and partnerships toward inclusive and sustainable development.

Ravi Ratnayake, ESCAP, noted that sustainability concerns in business are leading to demand for multi-stakeholder partnerships, for which the APBF provides a platform.

During the Forum, ESCAP launched a handbook on best practices in responsible and sustainable banking, titled ‘The 3Cs for Responsible Banking in Asia-Pacific: Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Sustainability.’

ESCAP also conducted a session on disaster risk management for business, which gathered recommendations for a ministerial roundtable on risk-sensitive investment which will take place as part of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai, Japan, in 2015.

The APBF was founded in 2004, and meets annually. [ESCAP Press Release] [Publication: The 3Cs for Responsible Banking in Asia and the Pacific: Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Sustainability]