Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre's signing of MoU with Urbanice Malaysia sets the precedence for aligning sustainability goals with business events. Photo Credit: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) recently signed the first
public-private sector Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) MoU with
Urbanice Malaysia. It will contribute to Malaysia’s SDG initiatives and
complement Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) efforts to create a
sustainable city.
As part of the MoU, Urbanice Malaysia will provide strategic counsel
and advice to help KLCC further align its corporate responsibilities to
the United Nations SDG; enhance and execute its SDG roadmap; develop an
SDG business events guideline; and expand SDG reporting.
KLCC, together with Urbanice Malaysia, will be engaging with the
government and DBKL through knowledge-sharing dialogues and the
development of integrated urban solutions.
Elaborating on the partnership, Urbanice Malaysia’s Chief Executive
Norliza Binti Hashim shared, “The [partnership] sets a great example and
we hope it will drive more businesses and corporations in Malaysia to
adopt environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks to help
accelerate the localisation and implementation of the country’s SDGs.”
KLCC’s General Manager Alan Pryor said, “This marks an important step
for the centre and Malaysia’s business events industry in contributing
to and supporting the country’s adoption of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). We also hope this pioneering
public-private collaboration will help lay the foundations and inspire
many more public-private sector SDG partnerships in the future.”
He
elaborated that international meetings and events are now designed
through the lens of sustainability, with the intention of leaving behind
a lasting legacy for the local communities where the event is hosted.
KLCC has retained its EarthCheck (world’s leading scientific
benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism)
Silver certification for the third consecutive year. The centre also
recently designed and installed a zero-energy rain water harvesting
system, with 80% less cost.
“Our sustainability priorities are centred around waste management,
energy management and community care. In 2019, we established a
cross-departmental SDG taskforce that worked tirelessly to raise
awareness among our staff, identify areas of improvement and manage the
implementation of change within the organisation,” said Pryor.