Paris, 17 October 2022— Today, Business at OECD (BIAC) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) formally issued a joint statement entitled “Connecting Regions: Partnerships for Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains” to the OECD and ASEAN Ministers and high-level participants during the OECD Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on 17-18 October.
Inflation, supply chain disruptions, and rising food, energy, and commodity prices are heavily impacting businesses worldwide, requiring timely and coordinated action based on effective cooperation and partnerships among national governments across regions and international organizations. At the same time, climate change remains a global priority, and no single nation or region can solve it alone. Therefore, stronger private-sector investment and closer public-private cooperation are indispensable to move from commitment to action.
Business at OECD and ASEAN-BAC believe that close international cooperation and an effective rules-based order anchored on international law are essential to ensure global connectivity, business stability, and predictability to foster economic growth and opportunities for all, and realize a just transition to a more sustainable future. Considering the multi-faceted characteristic of the ASEAN region, OECD’s good practices and principles on tax, trade and investment, economic governance, digital economy, and responsible business conduct can be spread and deepened more in the region.
With this Business Statement, Business at OECD and ASEAN-BAC provide the OECD Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum with ten actionable recommendations, which focus on partnerships to strengthen supply chain resilience and enhancing business-to-government collaboration for sustainable economies.