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THE Jeffrey Cheah Basis (JCF) has made sustainable growth (SD) a core a part of its imaginative and prescient and mission, giving it momentum by establishing the Jeffrey Sachs Heart on Sustainable Growth (JSC) in 2016. Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah solutions questions from The Edge in regards to the steps taken to make the SD agenda the idea for the Sunway Group’s contributions to society. The next are excerpts from the interview.
The Edge: How is the JCF catalysing a shift within the nationwide outlook in the direction of a borderless, cooperative and inclusive society and economic system?
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah: For a rustic to prosper, it’s not sufficient simply to have schooling. It must also be of top of the range, and made reasonably priced and accessible.
The basic constructing blocks of nation-building are to first develop our folks — constructing a progressive future collectively. Which is why I do that by means of high quality schooling and analysis — with out data there will likely be no progress.
As Sunway is deeply dedicated to advancing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs), we’ve included these practices in all that we do.
On the forefront of this international effort is the JCF — we endowed US$10 million to the United Nations Sustainable Growth Options Community (UN-SDSN) to arrange the JSC at Sunway College 5 years in the past. This 12 months, we’ve dedicated one other US$10 million for the following 5 years.
Headed by world-renowned economist Prof Jeffrey Sachs, the JSC goals to reinforce and advance the SD agenda by means of schooling, insurance policies and analysis.
Sachs is a private pal and I’m impressed by his contributions. So far as I do know, he has devoted his grownup life to creating SDGs and advancing the SD agenda, and designed the 17 SDGs adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
Sachs is particular advisor to the UN secretary-general — he has served in that function with three of them thus far. He has been ranked among the many three most influential dwelling economists by The Economist, and referred to as “the world’s best-known economist” by Time journal.
The JSC at Sunway College is the one considered one of its sort within the area and is now one of many world’s three SDG Facilities of Excellence.
We recognise that realising the 17 SDGs will not be the accountability of governments alone. It requires the dedication of all sectors of society — the personal sector, academia, civil society and, in fact, each single particular person.
I hope what we’re doing at Sunway will encourage society to do extra. We are able to all do nicely by doing good.
Which tasks of the UN-SDSN Asia and JSC at Sunway College may be seen as flagship initiatives that outline the SD method?
The JSC has launched its Grasp in Sustainable Growth Administration programme, which was specifically designed and authored by Sachs and his staff.
It’s our hope that this programme will produce a brand new era of leaders who’re geared up with the data, science and analytical and significant considering expertise to make actual, optimistic adjustments for our nation, area and world.
I’m notably proud that Sunway Metropolis Kuala Lumpur has been chosen as one of many three overarching UN-SDSN centres alongside New York Metropolis and Paris to coordinate continent-wide sustainability initiatives for Asia, the Americas and Europe/Africa respectively.
It is a reflection of Sunway’s full embrace of the SD agenda and our dedication to advancing the SDGs within the Asian area.
The brand new UN-SDSN centre for Asia housed at Sunway College can even host the pinnacle workplace of the SDG Academy, which is the schooling arm for the UN-SDSN, and lead flagship programmes of the SDSN within the area.
Recognised globally because the hub of high-quality SDG schooling, the SDG Academy is a web-based data community that reaches greater than 300,000 learners in 193 nations.
At the moment, the SDG Academy at Sunway College has been tasked with drawing up a curriculum on SD to be launched as a obligatory topic from kindergarten to Yr 12 (Ok-12 ranges) around the globe.
The SDG Academy will play a elementary function in Mission 4.7, which goals to speed up the implementation of SDG Goal 4.7.
SDG Goal 4.7 calls on all governments to make sure all learners purchase the data and expertise wanted to advertise SD, by means of the schooling for SD and sustainable existence, human rights, gender equality, selling peace and non-violence, international citizenship and the appreciation of cultural range.
Sunway College is proud to be a part of this new international initiative alongside the International Colleges and SDG Academy in partnership with Unesco, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for International Residents and the Heart for Sustainable Growth at Columbia College, New York Metropolis.
I’m delighted to co-chair Mission 4.7 alongside world leaders UN-SDSN president Jeffrey Sachs, Unesco assistant director-general for schooling Stefania Giannini and Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, representing Pope Francis, who launched this Mission on the Vatican on Dec 16, 2020.
All of us at Sunway regard this accountability not solely as an honour however an obligation. We’re decided to do our half in the direction of advancing the SD agenda.
How has the Sunway Group modified its operations according to SD ideas primarily based on the inputs of SDSN and JSC?
At Sunway, we embrace the ideas of sustainability in all of our decision-making processes and enterprise practices.
All the things that we do now could be in regards to the future generations. Meaning appearing as accountable stewards of the planet and selling socio-economic targets.
We pursue this mission by means of varied avenues at Sunway Group and all of our affiliated entities, be it industrial enterprises, philanthropic endeavours and collaborative partnerships with world-renowned establishments.
In actual fact, the very delivery of Sunway was based on the idea of sustainability with the rehabilitation of our flagship Sunway Metropolis Kuala Lumpur, a wasteland turned wonderland.
We rehabilitated deserted mining swimming pools, and constructed an built-in township that homes academic establishments, industrial entities, a medical centre, retail and leisure shops and residential neighbourhoods that serve a vibrant group of greater than 200,000 folks dwelling, finding out, working and enjoying in a secure, linked and wholesome atmosphere.
Our good sustainable township is now set to be the take a look at mattress for Sunway Residing Laboratory (Residing Lab), bringing in consultants to generate sustainable, real-world options for future city areas in the direction of the betterment of the atmosphere and humankind.
We just lately entered right into a tripartite collaboration with Celcom and Huawei for the event of good options through 5G expertise within the areas of public security and safety, telehealth, e-learning, hospitality, and leisure and retail expertise, with Sunway Metropolis Kuala Lumpur because the launch pad.
We additionally partnered with Ecole 42, a French tech college that breaks new floor in schooling by providing peer-to-peer studying with zero tuition charges. Ecole 42 KL is about to play a significant function in equipping our younger folks with the abilities and aptitude to thrive in a digital economic system whose default setting is a ‘new regular’.
And shortly, we will likely be launching the revolutionary Sunway FutureX, which is Malaysia’s first-ever expertise constructing hub for city farming improvements. FutureX represents our first enterprise into the agrifood-tech sector and marks our contribution to Malaysia’s meals safety.
We purpose to duplicate these initiatives throughout all our different townships, particularly Sunway Metropolis Ipoh and Sunway Metropolis Iskandar Puteri in Johor.
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