Learning and Sharing Workshop on Unlocking Sustainable Responsible Investment: Toward a Green Agriculture in Viet Nam

On 15 March 2022, ICD / MARD in collaboration with Grow Asia and PSAV organized the Learning and Sharing Workshop on Unlocking Sustainable Responsible Investment: Toward a Green Agriculture in Viet Nam.

In 2018, the ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry Ministers' Meeting (AMAF) adopted a common regional framework to support policy making and promote responsible private investment. The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN RAI) include 10 principles on Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) that investors need to adhere for meeting the legal requirements of ASEAN countries.

Some case studies on sustainable and responsible investment models of investors in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN and Vietnam in the food, agriculture and forestry sectors were shared at the Workshop. These studies have showed lessons learned from investors in adopting responsible investment practices in line with the ASEAN RAI Guidelines, thereby encouraging investors and finance suppliers to increase investment in activities that bring positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts in agriculture.

Vietnam aimed to become a country that produced and supplied food with “Transparency, responsibility, sustainability and green growth, multi-value integrated growth in the direction of high technology, diversity, sustainability, rational use of natural resources, ecological environment protection, biodiversity maintenance and conservation”. Implementation of commitments made at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) to the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and cutting 30 % of methane emissions by 2030.

This dual goal of recovery, agricultural production growth and sustainable development requires more efforts from both the public and private sectors, especially in sustainable and responsible investment activities