Participation in Panel Discussion at Business Call to Action Annual Forum 2016

September 23, 2016
Asahi Kasei Corp.

Asahi Kasei participated in the Business Call to Action (BCtA)1 Annual Forum 2016 led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)2 in New York City on September 22, 2016 (US Eastern time). Mr. Toshio Takanashi, President of Asahi Kasei's Fibers & Textiles SBU, was invited as a panelist for the discussion entitled “Greater Impact and Scale for the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Fiber and Textiles SBU joined the BCtA program this May with an initiative to raise the skills of local producers and young people in India for the production process of cupro regenerated cellulose fiber from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacture of finished fabric.

The BCtA Annual Forum 2016 was attended by corporations around the world, international organizations, government agencies, NGOs, and other related parties. In the panel discussion, Takanashi and the other panelists presented their companies' initiatives and goals towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and actively discussed how contributions by the private sector can impact the achievement of the SDGs. Takanashi described Asahi Kasei's four decades of involvement in India through its cupro fiber business. In order to empower the local residents through their active participation in business activities, Asahi Kasei has been working to help them develop skills, secure stable income, and create new employment opportunities. In recent years, it has also focused on fostering young talent that will lead the next generation of India's fiber and fashion industries, including support for education at universities with the aim of developing the potential of the younger generations.

Asahi Kasei will continue to contribute to the development of human resources and various related industries for the broader community and provide solutions to social challenges worldwide in accordance with the spirit of the BCtA.

Panel discussion at the BCtA Annual Forum 2016 (Takanashi second from left)
Panel discussion at the BCtA Annual Forum 2016 (Takanashi second from left)

1 Business Call to Action (BCtA):
BCtA is a unique multilateral alliance by four donor governments and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which hosts the secretariat. BCtA challenges companies to advance core business activities that are inclusive of poor populations and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Worldwide, 137 companies, from SMEs to multinationals, have responded to the BCtA by making commitments to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions through commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, suppliers, and distributors of goods and services.

2 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
UNDP was founded in 1966 as one of the United Nation's subsidiary bodies under the UN General Assembly and the UN Economic and Social Council. Headquartered in New York, UNDP provides development assistance in nearly 170 countries with focuses on sustainable development; democratic governance and peacebuilding; and climate and disaster resilience.