The inaugural One Earth Summit, convened by Institute of Sustainability and Technology, concluded successfully this week in Hong Kong.
The global gathering for international sustainability leaders attracted more than 1,000 influential leaders and changemakers from global corporations, the financial sector, start-ups, foundations, media, civil societies, and academia who engaged in action-focused dialogues for achieving the net-zero, nature positive transition for the world during the full-day Summit.
The opening ceremony of the Summit was officiated by The Hon John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: "Under the premise of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has long established its robust financial infrastructure, together with the rule of law, a market-oriented and internationalised business environment, internationally aligned regulatory regimes, and the free and unfettered flow of information, people and capital. These strengths, together with our fast-rising prowess as an innovation and technology centre, make Hong Kong the ideal nexus for building partnerships, for driving the innovative solutions the world needs to promote sustainability."
The Hon Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also delivered his opening remarks at the Summit's gala dinner later in the day, "As Asia's green finance centre, with green and sustainable bonds issued by us accounting for one-third of Asia's total, Hong Kong is well-positioned to help match funds with green projects. Besides, we possess high-quality professional services that help ensure projects' alignment with international green standards. We have also put in substantial resources in education and training programmes to nurture talents. We are fully committed to cultivating a comprehensive green and sustainable finance ecosystem that will support the great green transformation."
The Hon Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, announced the launch of a roadmap within this year to provide a transparent and well-defined pathway on sustainability reporting for businesses in Hong Kong.
"Our vision is to be among the first jurisdictions to align the local sustainability disclosure requirements with the ISSB Standards, as we consider it essential to showcase our commitment to reinforcing Hong Kong's leading position on the international sustainable finance map and solidifying the competitiveness of businesses in Hong Kong to address the global demand for sustainability disclosure," Mr Hui said.
