00:00The Asia ESG Positive Impact Consortium, AEPIC, was officially launched by Malaysia's Prime
00:09Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on June 21.
00:13Comprising three influential media partners, Star Media Group, Indonesia's media group
00:19of Kompas Gramedia, KG Media, and the Inquirer Group of Companies from the Philippines, the
00:24consortium aims to further efforts in promoting progressive environmental, socio-economic
00:29and governance commitments for future prosperity across the region.
00:33The consortium will use its platforms for thought leadership workshops, local summits
00:38and editorial content to promote ESG principles, share knowledge, and showcase success stories.
00:45Saim Darby Property Berhad has also been named as a partner for its flagship initiatives,
00:50ensuring their success.
00:52We envision a sustainable and thriving Asia where innovative media collaboration leads
00:58to progressive environmental, socio-economic and governance commitments, ensuring prosperity
01:04for future generations.
01:06ESG is more relevant now than ever because it plays a pivotal role in combating climate
01:12change, promoting social responsibility, and ensuring good governance, giving the global
01:18focus on these areas.
01:20Adopting ESG practices is no longer optional, but essential for future success.
01:26The Asia ESG Positive Impact Consortium, the vision is to envision a thriving and sustainable
01:35Asia which is committed to delivering and practicing ESG principles with the end in
01:43mind of achieving prosperity for future generations.
01:47And how important do you think ESG is for the world at this current moment?
01:51Definitely it's something that should be prioritized.
01:56We cannot achieve growth without observing ESG principles.
02:01So if we want to aim for a sustainable future, we should practice ESG principles.
02:10I think the vision of the IPEC consortium is to unite the powerhouses, the media powerhouses
02:17throughout Asia to fight for the common cause, which is to improve the sustainability of
02:23the whole earth.
02:24As we know, the United Nations, all countries member of the United Nations, we have a common
02:31goal to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030.
02:35But there are major challenges to achieve those goals.
02:39And specifically in Asia-Pacific, there is a significant slowdown as well during COVID
02:44to the achievement of those goals.
02:46So to be able to accelerate the achievement of SDGs, we believe that all countries within
02:53Asia-Pacific should collaborate with each other, including the media industry as well.
02:58Well, the consortium is highly relevant because ESG factors are increasingly critical in today's
03:09business environment.
03:13We can see consumers, investors, and regulators, they are demanding more transparency and accountability.
03:22As such, sustainable practices are essential for long-term business viability and social
03:30well-being.
03:31And at the same time, investors and consumers are increasingly prioritizing ESG, making
03:39it a key factor in decision-making and trust.
03:44Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Malaysia
03:50External Trade Development Corporation Deputy CEO Abu Bakar Yusof were also present to show
03:56their support.
03:57I believe this collaboration is a crucial starting point so that we don't just do it
04:04within our own borders, but we get outside and we are going to our nearest neighbours.
04:11We are going to Indonesia, we are going to Philippines, and I think next year Malaysia
04:15is chairing ASEAN.
04:17So this sort of cross-border collaboration is very important.
04:21I believe that we want to go to cover all of ASEAN because by 2030, we will be the world's
04:29fourth biggest economy.
04:31In order for us to achieve these ESG goals, there needs to be a lot of hard work, there
04:36needs to be a lot of collaboration, there needs to be a lot of pooling of resources,
04:42learning from best practices that are not only done, you know, we tend to look at only
04:47the developed world, but actually a lot of the best practices happen in our own countries,
04:52within these three countries.
04:54So I think this is an opportunity for us to do so.
04:56This collaboration will facilitate the congregation of the ecosystem partners, ecosystem players
05:05in the ESG industry, not only in Malaysia but also in the region, in the ASEAN region.
05:11And ESG is becoming more important as a way of life and also from a business perspective,
05:20this will facilitate our enterprises to be ready for embarking in the international arena.
05:30So these collaborations are humbling and I think this is going to be an interesting and
05:38exciting journey for Malaysia and also ASEAN countries to be able to work closely together
05:43in establishing a more structured framework of ESG.
05:49AEPIC's launch marked a watershed moment for the three media partners which are taking
05:54on a shared mission to drive influence of ESG principles in facilitating the region's
05:59green economic growth.
06:01This unprecedented cross-border alliance aims to collectively impact 123 million people
06:08across the region.
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