The International Chamber of Sustainable Development (ICSD), headquartered in Hong Kong, will extend its accredited course for ESG planners to the Greater Bay Area starting in September, as part of a broader expansion initiative. Peter Fong Kwok-wing, an advisor to ICSD and also the Vice-President of the Hong Kong Financial Services Institute, highlighted the growing demand for sustainable development expertise in mainland China, particularly with regulators tightening requirements on ESG disclosures and action plans.
The course will be conducted in Mandarin, with teaching materials tailored to the needs of mainland participants. The Greater Bay Area, encompassing Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong province, boasts a population exceeding 86 million. Recognizing China's commitment to sustainability, major stock exchanges like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have issued new guidelines mandating sustainability reports from over 400 listed companies, covering aspects like greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonization plans by 2026.
Hong Kong's stock exchange has also tightened rules, requiring large listed firms to report full supply chain emissions by 2026, aligning with the city's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. These firms already disclose emissions from their operations and plans to mitigate them, along with other social and governance-related information.
Over the past two years, more than 3,000 individuals have completed ICSD's certified ESG planner course in Hong Kong. The course, offered through online and in-person programs in English and Cantonese by various institutions like the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University, has been subsidized by the government's green finance capacity-building support scheme, covering up to 80% of course fees.
Angus Yip Wing-hang, the founding chairman of ICSD, emphasized the importance of such initiatives in fostering expertise and capacity in sustainable finance, aligning with global and regional sustainability goals.
