EIC President Chairs Roundtable at Annual AIIB Conference
The Annual Conference of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was held outside of Asia for the first time, taking place on 12-13 July 2019 in Luxembourg. The theme of the meeting was “Cooperation and Connectivity” in recognition of the economic and social benefits of improved connectivity within and between countries and regions, including Europe and Asia. It allowed the AIIB’s Governors and Directors to engage with delegations from members, prospective members, partner institutions, business leaders, civil society and experts from a wide range of fields.
Roundtable for Improving ESG Performance in Infrastructure
EIC President Philippe Dessoy was invited by the AIIB to co-chair the Roundtable for Improving ESG Performance in Infrastructure which engaged relevant industrial associations, member companies, bilateral DFIs, and other key partners on how to support the implementation of high-quality and sustainable infrastructure projects, with a focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. Further speakers from the construction industry included representatives of EIC’s Asian counterparts, namely the Chairman of China International Contractors Association (CHINCA) Mr. Fang Quichen, the Vice Chairman of the International Contractors Association of Korea (ICAK), Mr. Song Young-wan, the CEO of the Overseas Construction Association of Japan (OCAJI), Mr. Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, as well as the Member of the Board of EIC’s Turkish member association (TCA), Mr. Başar Arıoğlu.
More collaboration to promote necessary high-quality and sustainable infrastructure
The seminar engaged participants from the public and private sector to share lessons learned in promoting the implementation of ESG standards on major infrastructure projects and to discuss practical mechanisms for connecting MDBs, bilateral DFIs, industrial associations and their member companies to work together on delivering high-quality and sustainable infrastructure projects. AIIB emphasised the need for a global methodology on ESG performance, in particular on Health & Safety in the infrastructure sector, in order to identify best practice. One possibility to establish ESG benchmarks identified during the Roundtable would be to create ESG Labels capable to reassure investors that the implementation of infrastructure project addresses ESG considerations throughout its life-cycle.