The Second Session of the Committee on Trade, Investment, Enterprise and Business Innovation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) convened from 28-30 May at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok

The Second Session of the Committee on Trade, Investment, Enterprise and Business Innovation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) convened from 28-30 May at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok to discuss policy issues relating to trade, cooperation and foreign direct investment for sustainable development and promoting private sector leadership in scaling up sustainable business practices and solutions, in particular, advancing business innovation and fostering cooperation to leverage innovation and technology for inclusive and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

The Session on ‘”Advancing the Agenda on Business Innovation and Sustainable Development’’ was chaired by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Wijayanthi Edirisinghe and was attended by senior government representatives of ESCAP member states and international organizations

Delivering the Country Statement, the, Director General of Sustainable Development Council, Chamindry Saparamadu highlighted how Sri Lanka is harnessing the potential of the private sector to drive high-quality, inclusive growth in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Sri Lanka through the promotion of inclusive and sustainable businesses. She highlighted that the formulation of a National Strategy to Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Businesses to achieve the SDGs is a key milestone in this transformative journey and the National Strategy is accompanied by concrete implementation measures such as an Action Plan to Develop Inclusive and Sustainable Business Capacities in Sri Lanka, including in green business model development, value chain integration, accessing inclusive and sustainable business credentials, impact measurement and reporting, and accessing impact investments.

While thanking ESCAP for the technical support provided in conducting research and analysis as well as stakeholder dialogues to inform policy development, she requested the continued support and collaboration of ESCAP in the promotion of inclusive and sustainable businesses in Sri Lanka. She reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to advancing inclusive and sustainable business practices and sought strengthened regional collaboration to empower the private sector to be a true driver of sustainable development.