Urgent Requirements for Sustainability and ESG Capacity-Building

Major announcements made at COP28 but less attention given to capacity-building, developing knowledge, skills, practices and structures

Many announcements at COP28 have been about massive new funding and major investments around the world.

However, less attention seems to have been given to the necessary capacity-building -developing knowledge, skills, practices, and structures across both the public and private sectors to promote sustainable and responsible growth and development.

What is capacity building?

In more detail, Purpose&/ believes capacity building activities include:

Training and Education: providing employees and management with the knowledge and skills to implement sustainability and ESG practices
Policy Development: Creating guidelines and standards for sustainable and responsible business practices
Reporting and Disclosure: establishing systems for tracking, managing, and communicating sustainability and ESG performance
Stakeholder Engagement: involving various internal and external stakeholders in the development and implementation of sustainability and ESG strategies
Continuous Improvement: regularly reviewing and updating sustainability and ESG practices to adapt to changing conditions and new insights

A major outcome of such capacity building involves enhancing an organisation’s ability to integrate sustainability principles into its core strategies, operations, and culture.

The Centre for Climate Diplomacy

A good example of capacity building in the region is The Centre for Climate Diplomacy, which was launched by the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) to guide the UAE’s foreign policy on climate change through research and diplomacy.

“Our key activities include capacity building for diplomats, policymakers, and researchers, knowledge production through cutting-edge research and publications, and the establishment of a comprehensive centre focused on climate diplomacy and policy development.” The Centre’s objectives cover:

Research Excellence
Guiding Foreign Policy
Inspiring Climate Action
Collaborative Research Agenda

Purpose&/ is able to provide Sustainability and ESG capacity building - creating a framework within an organisation that not only supports sustainable and ethical practices but also embeds them into the very fabric of the organisation’s operations and culture.

COP28