Monash organises major conference on sustainable development
Balancing the ever growing needs of nations and communities with the limited environmental resources available is the greatest challenge facing humankind today.
Businesses can play a major role in giving the people of the world a upper hand in this effort, said Chairman of Sime Darby Bhd and former Deputy Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam when opening the The International Conference on Business, Environment, International Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of the Asia Pacific Economies on 3 December 2007 at the Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa in Bandar Sunway, Selangor.
"In a globalised world, there's no denying the connectivity between nations and the impact decisions made by one nation can have on others.
He said over the past 50 years, Malaysia has grappled in its own way with ensuring that it had sustainable development policies, but it has not been easy. Often, development in one area came at the expense of another.
"What did becoming the world's leading exporter of rubber, palm oil, pepper and cocoa mean? It simply meant cutting down trees resulting in shrinking forest lands. It also meant upsetting the eco-system.
"The dilemma here is very clear, how do governments meet the demanding needs of communities in terms of infrastructure development, housing, agriculture and human settlement against the backdrop of needs for environmental preservation?
Musa said the advancement of sustainable development policies must be based on the needs of communities, with emphasis for businesses on corporate social responsibility and good corporate governance.
Another speaker at the opening ceremony was Monash University's Pro Vice-Chancellor and President ( Malaysia) Professor Robin Pollard.
Conference Chairman Professor Sivalingam V.G. Lingam, who is also Chair of Business at Monash University's Sunway campus, said about 70 representatives from industry and academia were represented at the two-day conference, which focused on sustainable development and how environmental issues can impact trade and business in Asia Pacific.
Speakers at the conference included distinguished academics from major global universities and representatives from the industry, such as Dr. Dan Biller from the World Bank; Professor Graciela Chichilnisky, UNESCO Chair of Mathematics and Economics and Professor of Statistics, Columbia University; Professor Partha, Sen Delhi School of Economics and other leading figures.
Professor Siva said the issues discussed included the effects of trade liberalization and stricter environmental regulations on the international competitiveness and sustainable development of the Asia Pacific Economies.
"The aim was to assess whether international competitiveness and hence sustainable development of enterprises and nations is compatible with stricter environmental regulations,” he added.
Professor Sivalingam said the participants also discussed the incentives and disincentives that may arise from current efforts to strengthen existing environmental regulations, or create new ones. These, he said, include new environmental regulations and standards in the form of eco-labels and environmental and related health requirements (ERHRs), or Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs).
A special session of the conference also focused on climate change and capacity building for sustainable development in the Asia Pacific Economies. – by Jasbir Singh.
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