ASEAN
www.asean.org
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 and includes Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:
- To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
- To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
- To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
- To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
- To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
- To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
- To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
www.aseanbiodiversity.org
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), established in 2005, is ASEAN’s response to the challenge of biodiversity loss. It is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates cooperation and coordination among the ten ASEAN Member States (AMS) and with regional and international organisations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of such natural treasures.
European Union
As a strategic partner, the European Union supports ASEAN and its Member States with initiatives to increase the region’s adaptability and resilience to the impacts of climate change, protect its rich biodiversity, and strengthen its disaster preparedness and response.
The EU and ASEAN expressed their intention to strengthen their partnership on sustainable development through establishing the ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Sustainable Development.
The European Union supports the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) conservation efforts through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas (BCAMP) project.
Metro Pacific Investments Corporation
https://www.mpic.com.ph/
MPIC is a Philippine-based, publicly listed investment management and holding company registered with the Philippine Securities Exchange Commission. It is a leading infrastructure holding company with a diverse set of assets held through its operating companies. Through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, it seeks to create value by upgrading infrastructure, improving operational efficiency, increasing customer coverage and working closely with regulators and other partners in government.
The overarching objective of its investment and management strategy is to create value for its stakeholders by achieving long-term economic success while contributing to inclusive and sustainable development of the nation. It operates in a number of highly-regulated sectors within a framework of national laws and regulations including various concession and franchise agreements. It works hard to uphold its commitments under these agreements, and it is proud of its legacy over the past years of delivering on its promises to rehabilitate, maintain, strengthen and improve vital services that help to form the backbone of the Philippine economy and society.
Through its operating companies, it strives to deliver high quality and affordable services for customers, provide safe workplaces and merit-based opportunities for employees and generate reasonable returns for business partners and investors. On a daily basis its operating companies are making a difference to the lives of millions of Filipinos, powering commerce and households, connecting people and places, delivering clean and safe water, and making world-class standards of healthcare available to all.
Managing the environmental and social impacts of its operations is both an ecological and economic imperative at MPIC. Beyond regulatory compliance, MPIC aspires to continuously improve its operational standards to better its stewardship of the environment and its surrounding communities. Aside from supporting decarbonisation initiatives, it pursues efforts in waste and effluent reduction, community building programs, and awareness campaigns to minimize environmental and social disruption.