The workshop was opened by Mr. Marco A. Suazo, UNITAR NYO Head of Office. He delivered opening remarks and spoke about the importance of private sector involvement in achievement of the SDGs. Mr. Suazo stressed that this is an opportunity for business and government to come together and promote sustainability. He then introduced the moderator of the workshop’s panel, Dr. Todd Cort, a Lecturer in Sustainability at the Yale School of Management and Co-Director of the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance. Dr. Cort spoke briefly on the themes of the workshop and asserted that we live in extraordinary times for sustainable investing. He explained the sustainable investing has nearly triple from 2012 to 2018 and governments are now integrating ESG reporting in regulations. Dr. Cort then introduced the panelists, Ms. Hana Vizcarra, Staff Attorney at Harvard Law School’s Environment and Energy Law Program and Mr. Ashley Walter, Partner in Orrick’s Seattle Office.

Mr. Ashley Walter was next to speak, and he focused his presentation on the perspective of private companies on ESG reporting. First, he defined the terms included in the environmental, social and governance categories of ESG reporting and elaborated on what factors are located under each pillar. Mr. Walter then gave examples of ESG due diligence in private companies, demonstrating the ways in which sustainability is being considered in business models. He concluded by speaking on the rise of ESG data, which makes it easier for businesses to become aware of how to integrate ESG reporting into companies.

A brief Q&A session moderated by Dr. Cort followed, in which participants asked many questions related to the international implications of increased ESG reporting and additional ways investors can guide implementation of ESG measures. Mr. Suazo concluded the session by reinforcing the importance of this topic to the achievement of the SDGs, and thanked the participants for their attendance.