Over 300 local, ASEAN, Hong Kong and China MSMEs participate in ESG

KUALA LUMPUR: The ASEAN, Hong Kong, China (AHKC) SMEs Going ESG Policy Dialogue and Workshop 2024 opened today with more than 300 participants from local micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), as well as those from ASEAN member states, Hong Kong and China.

Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick officiated the opening ceremony of the two-day programme, organised by SME Corp Malaysia (SME Corp), in conjunction with the International MSME Day, observed annually on June 27.

SME Corp chief executive officer Rizal Nainy said that the programme aims to raise awareness about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, and their significance to the MSME industry.

Themed ‘Empowering SME Sustainability’, the event will be filled with dialogue sessions, focused on policy development, to encourage the adoption of ESG practices among MSMEs.

“We will have a workshop for participants to examine the importance of ESG to them.

“Participation in this programme is not confined to Malaysian MSMEs, but also includes those from ASEAN, Hong Kong, and China. This initiative aims not only to provide knowledge about ESG, but also to foster business networking among MSMEs in ASEAN, Hong Kong, and China,” he said after the opening ceremony.

Rizal highlighted that ESG-ready MSMEs have a significant advantage in accessing both local and global markets.

To support this, SME Corp launched an ESG quick guide for MSMEs to facilitate the adoption of ESG practices, which can be downloaded free on the agency’s website.

Earlier, Ewon, in his opening speech, emphasised that encouraging the adoption of ESG practices among SMEs aligns with the government’s commitment to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“Accelerating the adoption of ESG is also one of the initiatives planned under the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan,” he added.