Corporate Leaders Gather in Colombo to Tackle Regional Sustainability

Hosted by Global Compact Network Sri Lanka, the forum brought together 14 regional country networks to address the mounting pressures of technological disruption and climate risk. Sanda Ojiambo, CEO of the UN Global Compact, noted that the complexity of the current economic environment serves as a catalyst for companies to refine their strategies. Rather than treating sustainability as a secondary agenda, participants argued that embedding environmental and governance metrics into long-term planning is now a prerequisite for competitiveness.

The summit featured a dedicated meeting of the APAC Chief Sustainability Officers Peer Learning Group, which connects 20 leaders from top regional firms. This group aims to break down internal corporate silos, ensuring that sustainability initiatives are not isolated but woven into core business functions. Throughout the two-day session, discussions prioritized tangible actions, ranging from sustainable finance and circular economy models to the protection of human rights within supply chains. Rathika de Silva, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Sri Lanka, emphasized that the summit is designed to translate high-level ambition into measurable, cross-border collaboration, asserting that regional businesses must act collectively to meet Sustainable Development Goals.