Caption: (L) Faroze Nadar, Executive Director for UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei and (R) Edward Ling, Portfolio Head, ACCA Maritime Southeast Asia
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB) recently sealed a strategic partnership to build awareness among finance and accounting professionals on corporate sustainability, an essential aspect of building resilient and sustainable businesses for now and for future generations.
UNGCMYB serves as the local chapter of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), an international body that promotes collaboration between various stakeholders, including professional bodies such as ACCA, to drive action for more sustainable business practices. The organisation is a dedicated advocate that is grounded in the Ten Principles of United Nations Global Compact and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through its comprehensive resources and activities, UNGCMYB actively engages in learning and upskilling programmes. The collaboration with ACCA specifically targets finance and accounting professionals and aims to equip them with the relevant skills and knowledge to steer their organisations towards achieving sustainable growth and development.
“Finance professionals, as key decision makers for investments and financing approaches, will be one of the key actors in our transition to a sustainable world. With this partnership, we are able to play a greater role to bridge much-needed sustainability and financial actions, through collaborative programs and localized content, to achieve the SDGs within this decade. We are excited to embark on this journey together with ACCA,” said Faroze Nadar, Executive Director for UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei.
The opportunities that come from UNGCMYB-ACCA partnership will include efforts to raise awareness and improve skills in areas such as sustainable finance and its impact for relevant stakeholders, in order to align organisations’ financial strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).
The collaboration also aims to create a pipeline of sustainability advocates amongst finance and accounting professionals, with the aim of being part of the UNGC CFO Taskforce.
In time, ACCA and UNGCMYB will also collaborate on high-level support policy and research and organise events to drive visibility on corporate sustainability. These may include roundtable discussions, reports, forums and conferences, as well as workshops.
“This collaboration is very meaningful to us, as ACCA has long been an advocate for sustainability. We believe that corporate sustainability is an integral part of shaping efficient and ethical businesses, economies and societies. As a professional body we have made our own commitments towards the SDGs, by offering quality education in finance and accountancy to all, driving inclusion and diversity at all levels of our profession, promoting sustainable practices and pledging to become Net Zero by 2030,” said Edward Ling, Portfolio Head, ACCA Maritime Southeast Asia.
“To instil a deeper appreciation for this commitment among our members, we incorporate the various principles of sustainability across different platforms, from our qualification framework to our Continuing Professional Development (CPDs) trainings - all these and more are compiled on our Sustainability Hub, a consolidated online resource for our members where all sustainability-related information can be found.”
“As such, we are firmly aligned with the values espoused by UNGCMYB, and we are both proud and privileged to work hand-in-hand with UNGCMYB to augment our capabilities to make real, impactful change and build a more sustainable world for us and for generations to come.”
