Unctad cites SEC reporting initiatives

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was recognized last week by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) for promoting sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting.

The commission, along with three others, received the ISAR Honors 2022 in the national category during a November 2 ceremony at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, besting 45 other organizations from other countries.

The Unctad recognized the workshops, training, seminars and partnerships organized by the SEC to increase awareness, advance knowledge, and build capacity in sustainability and SDG reporting following the 2019 issuance of sustainability reporting guidelines for publicly listed firms.The initiative saw the number of companies reporting their environmental, social and governance impacts increase to around 91 percent of the total number of listed firms in 2020 from 22 percent prior to 2019. Last year it rose to 95 percent.

“The SEC Philippines has since been active in enforcing its sustainability guidelines with the UN SDGs at its core,” SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino said during the ceremony.

“We have been partnering with key stakeholders and conducting several capacity building programs that builds on sustainability as a way of life and as a way forward for a more sustainable future,” he added.