SDSN Philippines Hosts Public Plenary on the Role of Academe in Mainstreaming Sustainability with GRI, AIS and JGSOM

On 13 March 2023, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Philippines (SDSN PH) organized its public plenary for the year entitled “The Evolving Role of Universities in Sustainability'' held concurrently at the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and via Zoom. For this year’s public plenary, SDSN PH partnered with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), as well as the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS) and the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) of AdMU.

Keynote speaker Mr. Eelco van der Enden, the CEO of GRI, highlighted the growing relevance of sustainability in the corporate setting globally, including the ASEAN region. Noting how sustainability leads to the complete transformation of the economic model, Mr. van der Enden stated that sustainability is gaining traction in various nature and functions of businesses, including supply chain, production, management, and finance. He emphasized that universities play an essential role in ensuring that the workforce of the future can meet societal and investor demands and produce a diverse set of specialists.

Following his keynote was a fireside chat with Dr. Ma. Assunta C. Cuyegkeng, AdMU Professor and former SDSN PH Leadership Council Chair. Dr. Cuyegkeng pointed out that most sustainability leaders who are pioneering sustainability efforts in their companies nowadays never get to learn about sustainability in a formal structured way. Thus, the changing landscape in integrating sustainability in higher education, such as through AdMU’s minor program in sustainability, a Masters program in Sustainability Management, and a plethora of electives centered on particular Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is a welcome development.

This was followed by an online panel discussion composed of the First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Chief Sustainability Officer Ms. Agnes de Jesus, Business for Sustainable Development (BSD) Business Development and Membership Manager Ms. Raelanie Loyola, and ASEAN University Network for Business and Economics (AUN-BE) Committee Member Dr. Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo. The panelists delved deeper into internal challenges in making the shift towards sustainability management, as well as the emerging opportunities available and new competencies needed from those entering the workforce given the rise of sustainability thrusts.

Closing the panel discussion, Dr. Cuyegkeng reiterated that universities have a pivotal role in preparing the future workforce amidst the changing global environment and corporate landscape. She cited the relevance of interdisciplinary perspective that universities foster in understanding the dynamic backdrop and equipping the students for this setting.

The partnership between SDSN PH, GRI, AIS, and JGSOM exemplifies the necessity for Partnership Towards Goals. The partnership allowed the leverage of their combined expertise in engaging the public in a meaningful dialogue on how the sustainability agenda has become a material determinant of success across industries and organizations. GRI is the provider of the world’s most widely used sustainability disclosure standards, while Ateneo de Manila leads the Philippine universities in the most recent iteration of Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings given the university’s track record in advocating for sustainability in various fronts.

Yearly, SDSN PH organizes a public plenary which aims to raise awareness on particular aspects of the 17 SDGs to the general public. Last year’s SDSN PH Public Plenary zoomed into the progress of the Philippines in achieving the 17 SDGs as the country stands on a crossroad: being the tail end of the pandemic, ushering in a new administration, and facing the midpoint of the 2030 global target. It is thus timely that, in this year’s plenary, the discussion delved into the trajectory of the industry and the academe moving forward.

Moderated by GRI Regional Program Manager Ms. Danielle Coronacion, the plenary gathered more than 250 participants representing various local, regional and global organizations from the academe, government, non-government, and civil society. In addition to the local-based on-site participants, a significant international participation from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India, as well as from UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom graced the online discussion.

The recording of the hybrid event can be found on AIS’s YouTube channel.