The program was organized by ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), DTI (Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines), and the Temasek Foundation.
The event featured expert speakers in green growth and sustainability, including Ms. Meg Anne Santos, Head of Sustainability at Nestlé Philippines; Ms. Louernie de Sales, Vice President and Sustainability Head at SM Prime Holdings, Inc.; and Ms. Dawn Marie Francisco Cabigon, Campaign Lead of Race to Zero in the Philippines at the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
As part of the program, Dr. Nam Nguyen, Founder and CEO of KLINOVA Climate Consulting, participated as a speaker in Deep Dive Session 1: Sustainability in Corporate Supply Chains.
During the session, Dr. Nam shared insights from his corporate consulting experience on the common gaps between the sustainability requirements of large corporations and the capacity of SMEs to meet them. One of the key challenges lies in the misalignment of ESG reporting standards and practices. While international business partners require transparent, comprehensive, accurate, and verifiable information in accordance with international frameworks and methodologies such as CDP, GRI, IFRS, and SBTi, many SMEs still face financial, human resource, and technical constraints in developing data systems and preparing reports that meet these requirements.
The discussions at the forum highlighted the importance of strengthening connections between large corporations and SMEs, while underscoring the need for tailored support programs to bridge gaps in resources, data, and technical capabilities throughout the green transition.
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