Now available on ITC Standards Map: the ASEAN RAI Guidelines!

Sustainability standards and principles for responsible businesses help the private sector ensure positive impact along their supply chains and during investment processes. Although these standards and principles aim to clarify what “responsible practices” are, the diversity and sheer number of such types of guidance creates a complex landscape that business and financial investors must navigate. The Standards Map – a platform developed by the International Trade Centre (ITC) -aims to simplify this landscape. For investors in the food, agriculture and forestry space, the Sustainability Map offers a unique and comprehensive breakdown of the how the ASEAN Guidelines for Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (‘ASEAN RAI’) aligns with over 300 sustainability standards, codes of conduct and audit protocols.

The ASEAN RAI were adopted by the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in 2018 to guide agribusinesses, governments, financial institutions and producers in making environmentally, socially and economically responsible investments. Grow Asia, a World Economic Forum-catalyzed multistakeholder platform that promotes sustainable and inclusive agriculture in Southeast Asia, has supported the development, and now implementation, of the ASEAN RAI. Over the next 10 years, Grow Asia aims to accelerate adoption of the ASEAN RAI among investors. Through the collaboration with ITC and the referencing of ASEAN RAI Guidelines on Standards Map, it is now possible to demonstrate how existing standards and certifications can help investors show alignment to the ASEAN RAI.

As an agency of the United Nations, ITC offers the Standards Map online platform (www.standardsmap.org) as a neutral and comprehensive tool to compare and assess the level of alignment between over 300 sustainability standards, including the 10 Guidelines of the ASEAN RAI.

To learn more about the ASEAN RAI and how you can support the development of a more inclusive, sustainable and responsible food, agriculture and forestry sector, visit www.aseanraiguidelines.org. To connect with Grow Asia, email Erin Sweeney, Lead Sustainable Investment & Inclusion at erin [at] growasia.org (erin[at]growasia[dot]org).