PROGRAMME COVERED KEY ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-SOCIAL-GOVERNANCE (ESG) CONSIDERATIONS IN BOARD DECISION MAKING AND IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BOARD’S ACCOUNTABILITY

The School of Business Environment, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) organized a customized three days residential training and certification programme “ESG for Board Members” from Jan 30 – Feb 01 2025 at the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. This initiative is inspired by Dr. Ajay Bhushan Prasad Pandey, Director General & CEO, IICA conveying the importance of leadership buy-in for achieving Net-Zero and other relevant sustainability targets by embedding ESG in the corporate strategy aligned with global expectations from multiple stakeholders. The programme was inaugurated by Mr. Gerd Trogemann, Regional Manager, Global Policy Network and Regional Programme, Asia-Pacific, United Nations. 

The programme covered key aspects of building a business case of Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) considerations in Board decision making, it covered aspects of ESG’s Indian as well as global context, guided the participants on how to begin with ESG journey, embedding ESG in to corporate strategy, Impact of climate change and Board’s accountability, designing business models for resilience, Risk mitigation, evolving role of Board in corporate accountability, Stakeholders engagement for ESG success, Governance of CSR and role of Board, Public disclosures on ESG, Business and Human Rights due diligence, effective grievance redressal mechanisms, future trends impacting businesses, and essentials of becoming ESG Impact leaders.  

The sessions were delivered by prominent experts and facilitators including Prof. Garima Dadhich, Dr. Harpreet Kaur, Ms Olga Nilova, Mr. Bharat Wakhlu, Ms Belinda Hlatshwayo, Ms Nusrat Khan, and Dr. Ravi Raj Atrey. On the third day, delegation from Thailand based companies presented their ESG journey, best practices and challenges faced in strategizing and implementing ESG, the Indian delegation of public and private companies had a peer learning exposure through this exercise. The programme has benefitted CMDs, Directors, Independent Directors, Board Members, and other sr. leaders from corporate both public and private in the realm of ESG, it provided a unique opportunity to the participants to not only contribute to sustaining businesses in today's rapidly changing world but also to co-create a collaborative system of exchange of knowledge and ideas at elite level.

IICA enjoys unique distinction of offering a credible  six months ESG Professional programme  contributing to build a cadre of ESG professionals and Impact leaders. As per the recommendations of the High Level Advisory Committee and keeping in view the needs of Board representatives, this capsule programme was launched by the School of Business Environment-IICA in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme Regional Office for Asia and Pacific.  

ESG governance for boards: training to embed ESG into corporate strategy and strengthen board accountability and disclosures. A three-day training and certification programme 'ESG for Board Members' instructed board-level integration of Environmental, Social and Governance considerations, emphasizing the business case for ESG, embedding ESG into corporate strategy, Board accountability for climate impacts, resilient business model design, risk mitigation, stakeholder engagement, CSR governance, ESG disclosure, human rights due diligence, and grievance redressal mechanisms, delivered by experts and organized by IICA in collaboration with UNDP to build board capacity and complement IICA's six-month ESG professional programme.