With just five years left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, the need for bold, collective action has never been more urgent.
In our 20th anniversary year, the 17th UNGCNS Summit returns as a platform for business leaders, changemakers, and innovators to accelerate sustainability across Singapore and the Asia Pacific.
Anchored in Singapore’s role as a regional hub for green innovation, the Summit will feature high-level discussions, hands-on workshops, and cross-sector collaboration. Participants will gain the tools, insights, and networks needed to lead on sustainability now and beyond 2030.
Shape strategy, scale ambition, and drive lasting impact on 8th October 2025!
$500
$400
The CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leaders Award is an annual case competition jointly organised by City Developments Limited and UN Global Compact Network Singapore. It recognises and rewards young leaders in Singapore who actively advance the UN SDGs. The competition provides a platform for youth to champion sustainable development and integrate the SDGs into business strategies.
This fireside chat will explore the importance of corporate sustainability leadership in an increasingly polarised geopolitical landscape. The conversation will emphasise the need for strong sustainability targets and regional networks that help businesses manage external risks, seize new growth opportunities, and create positive impact. It will also highlight the financial potential arising from Singapore and Asia Pacific’s sustainability commitments — particularly in areas such as clean energy, low-emission technologies, and climate mitigation — and the importance of cross-sector collaboration to scale these solutions regionally.
Resorts World Sentosa shares a glimpse of its Eco Tour — a guided experience that invites Summit attendees to discover the resort’s sustainability features and green innovations. Attendees will be able to sign up during the Summit to explore these highlights.
Venue: Equarius Foyer
Take a break with refreshments and light bites while engaging with peers at the Impact Exchange. The foyer will feature dedicated zones focused on key sustainability topics, offering spaces to connect, discuss, and share ideas in an informal setting.
This panel dialogue will determine the right path for Singapore’s clean energy transition which is integral in unlocking the country’s 2050 net zero ambition. It will spotlight how regulators, suppliers, and consumers can work together to advance Singapore’s “Four Switches” – namely, Solar power, Regional power grids, Low carbon alternatives and Natural gas.
Panellists will examine the challenges of this transition, including land and resource constraints, energy security risks from cross-border power trade, and the difficulty of achieving commercial scale. They will also share strategic insights on how Singapore can overcome these barriers and unlock the economic and environmental opportunities of the clean energy transition.
Beyond Compliance: The Value of Rights, Trust & Resilience
Venue: Equarius Ballroom
Social sustainability, by nature, is the most elusive and complex of the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, environment, social. When rainforests are destroyed, we understand what is lost; when hyperinflation wipes out wealth, the costs of economic mismanagement are clear. But what does sustainability look like when people are at stake, when inequality leads to social unrest, or infrastructure projects destroy indigenous peoples and local communities?
This panel discussion will take a deeper look at social sustainability, why it matters and how to bolster it in business. A range of topics will be discussed, including early warning signs or red flags that may indicate human rights harms are occurring—or likely to occur—in a company’s operations or supply chain, and how social sustainability (positively and negatively) impacts a business’ financial performance. At the end of the discussion, the audience will gain a nuanced understanding of social sustainability and how they relate to business operations and strategic outcomes, from direct practices to supply chain dynamics.
Smart Capital: The Corporate Playbook for Sustainable Finance in Times of Uncertainty
Venue: Saffron
This TED–style masterclass features two expert speakers who will share insights on navigating the evolving landscape of sustainable finance. The talks will cover the financial opportunities arising from Singapore’s latest sustainability commitments, the expanding sustainable finance ecosystem in Asia Pacific, and global shifts toward sustainable investments. Participants will gain practical knowledge on selecting the right financial instruments — from green bonds to sustainability-linked loans — tailored to their company’s sector and size, and how to optimise corporate disclosure and strategy to access these funds.
Venue: Equarius Foyer
Enjoy a buffet lunch while engaging in the Impact Exchange — a dynamic networking experience featuring dedicated zones in the foyer focused on key sustainability themes. Connect with fellow attendees, exchange ideas, and explore topics that matter most to you in an informal and interactive setting.
Biodiversity Demystified: A Guide to Nature Reporting and Strategy
Venue: Equarius Ballroom
While climate change has long been at the centre of sustainability strategy, biodiversity is emerging as an equally urgent frontier. Businesses are now expected not just to do less harm, but to proactively identify and manage their dependencies and impacts on nature. This panel discussion will help businesses navigate the growing landscape of nature-related reporting, translating complex biodiversity concepts into strategic business implications. Participants will also learn how frameworks like Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) help companies move from awareness to action—by assessing their interface with nature and formulating measurable responses to biodiversity-related risks and opportunities.
Decoding Scope 3 — Turning Supply Chain Emissions into Business Opportunities
Venue: Saffron
This interactive workshop focuses on the material risks posed by Scope 3 emissions amid growing regulatory and investor scrutiny. Participants will be assigned hypothetical companies with specific Scope 3 challenges and tasked with proposing solutions to mitigate risks and capitalise on opportunities. Collaboration between groups will be encouraged.
Venue: Equarius Ballroom
This plenary debate will explore both sides of the carbon market discussion, addressing key questions such as: Is the carbon market still relevant amid criticisms of its effectiveness? Can it achieve the scale, maturity, and integrity needed for impactful climate action? Will cross-border carbon trade create risks like carbon leakage? And how can carbon projects ensure tangible benefits for local communities? After the debate, the audience will vote on which speaker presented the most compelling arguments.
This panel will explore the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing corporate sustainability. It will examine how AI supports energy and supply chain optimisation, enables automated ESG disclosure and compliance, and enhances strategic decision-making through real-time insights. The session will also address the potential downsides of AI — including high resource consumption, erosion of human decision-making, and risks related to personal data and privacy — and discuss how companies can anticipate and manage these challenges responsibly.
Alongside key reflections and forward-looking insights, the remarks will feature voices from the GCNS Impact Exchange — highlighting emerging synergies and opportunities for future collaboration, and reaffirming our shared commitment to accelerating sustainable impact.
Venue: Equarius Foyer
Join us after the Summit for an energising reception to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, and partners. It’s a chance to continue the conversation, spark new ideas, and build lasting connections in a relaxed and engaging setting.
Venue: Equarius Foyer
Join us after the Summit for an energising reception to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, and partners. It’s a chance to continue the conversation, spark new ideas, and build lasting connections in a relaxed and engaging setting.
In celebration of the United Nations MSME Day and the significant contributions of SMEs in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we bring to you
UNGCNS SME Sustainability Day!
Get actionable insights, practical steps, dive into a debate on AI’s role in sustainability reporting and form meaningful connections to turn ambition into action.
Your role in shaping a sustainable future is more important than ever. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to go further, SME Sustainability Day will help you move from intention to action.
The typical SME owner may not know where to begin or which steps to prioritize, even if they are motivated to pursue sustainability. Their initial instinct that hiring a consultant is unavoidable, which in most cases would require a significant outlay that may not have been budgeted and/or with no guaranteed economic return.
How can we support SMEs in getting started with sustainability without worrying about challenging stuff like how to produce a detailed Sustainability Report, for example? In other words, how can they begin their sustainability journey without having to dive into the more complex and costly aspects right away?
This panel aims to explore practical, actionable steps that SMEs can take to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and make a difference, without the stress of worrying about more complex or potentially necessary future actions.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming sustainability reporting, offering unprecedented opportunities for data accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. However, its integration has brought about new challenges, including data quality concerns, inconsistent reporting standards, and ethical risks such as bias and privacy issues. AI’s cost-saving benefits from streamlining ESG disclosures may be convincing, but this is challenged by complexities and potential risks in ensuring robust governance, credibility and sufficient human oversight. Will AI bring more challenges or problems for sustainability reporting?
Join this exciting plenary debate as well unpack the pros and cons to determine whether AI will be a catalyst for progress—or a source of greater complexity—for SMEs navigating the future of responsible business.
Meet our sponsors and partners who are making an impact with us
© Copyright 2025 · Global Compact Network Singapore
Disruptive innovations that enable positive transformation
Disruptive innovations that enable positive transformation
Paving the way for circular supply chains
UN GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK SINGAPORE
Towards net zero – decarbonising to optimise business operations.
Paving the way for circular supply chains
Disruptive innovations that enable positive transformation
Paving the way for circular supply chains
Disruptive innovations that enable positive transformation
Disruptive innovations that enable positive transformation
UOB
Paving the way for circular supply chains
| Time | Programme |
| 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.30am | Welcome remarks by Esther Chang, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Singapore |
| 9.35am | Launch of the Singapore Business Carbon Report 2023 |
| 9.45am | Keynote Address by Cindy Khoo, Managing Director of Enterprise Singapore |
| 10.00am | Sharing Session by Companies on their Decarbonisation Journey |
| 10:15am | Panel Discussion and Q&A |
| 11.00am | End of Session & Networking |
| Time | Programme |
| 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.30am | Session introduction |
| 9.40am | Welcome remarks by Esther Chang, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Singapore |
| 9.50am | Panel Discussion and Q&A |
| 10.50am | Launch of the Executive Guide to Sustainability Reporting 2024 Edition |
| 11:15am | Closing Remarks |
| 11.20am | End of Session & Networking |
| Time | Programme |
| 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.30am | Session introduction |
| 9.40am | Welcome remarks by Esther Chang, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Singapore |
| 9.50am | Panel Discussion and Q&A |
| 11:00am | Closing Remarks |
| 11.15am | End of Session & Networking |
