SEASN Strategic Planning 2019-2021
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SOUTH EAST ASIA SUSTAINABILITY NETWORK STRATEGIC PLANNING 2019-2021 i © South East Asia Sustainability Network (SEASN), Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) 2019 All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from South East Asia Sustainability Network (SEASN), Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia. Published by South East Asia Sustainability Network (SEASN) Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) Level 5, Hamzah Sendut Library Universiti Sains Malaysia 11800 Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia. Website: http://cgss.usm.my Email: [email protected] Editors Dr. Ng Theam Foo Dr. Suzyrman Sibly Dr. Mohd Sayuti Hassan Dr. Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib Dr. Radieah Mohd Nor Dr. Normaliza Abdul Manaf Dr. Hamoon Khelghat-Doost Mohd Abdul Muin Md Akil Siti Izaidah Azmi Marlinah Muslim Sharifah Nurlaili Farhana Syed Azhar Shalini Velaithum Contributors Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Malaysia World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Malaysia Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand Corporate Responsibility & Ethics Association for Thai Enterprise (CREATE), Thailand Far Eastern University (FEU), Philippines Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE), Southern Vietnam Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UteM), Malaysia Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE), Penang, Malaysia Penang Water Watch, Malaysia Language Works Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Aker Solution Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC), Malaysia Design and Layout Siti Fairuz Mohd Radzi ii TABLE OF CONTENT 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Global and Regional Challenges of Sustainability 1 2. Vision and Mission Statements 8 3. Rational and Objectives 8 4. Aligning with SDGs 9 5. SEASN Current Status 9 Funding, Membership, TOR, Board members 9 6. The Way Forward Achieving SDGs 14 6.1 Governance 14 6.2 Academic / Research 14 6.3 Networking, Community and Industry Engagement 15 7. Publications by CGSS-SEASN 17 8. Activities 21 9. Conclusion 24 iii iv INTRODUCTION SEASN is an alliance of higher education institutions, agencies, Civil Society Organisa- tions (CSOs) and industries in South East Asia (SEA) countries committed to promote, engage and integrate sustainability in the area of teaching, research, community engage- ment and institutionalMembantu arrangement. membentuk MPKK yang berkaliber dalam menjalankan tugas seharian dan membina jati diri serta SEASN provides exchangemengenali of ideas, potensi findings, diri informationmasing-masing. and good practices in teaching, research, community engagement and institutional arrangement with focus on Water, En- ergy, Health, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, Consumption and Production, Population and Poverty (WEHAB+3) and Sustainable De- velopment Goals (SDGs). 1.1 Global and Regional Challenges of Sustainability Global Challenges of Sustainability Poverty and Hunger While extreme poverty has eased considerably since 1990, pockets of the worst forms of poverty persist, world hunger appears to be on the rise again. Conflict, drought and di- sasters linked to climate change are among the key factors causing this reversal in progress. Health and Wellbeing Many people today are living healthier lives than in the past decade. Nevertheless, people are still suffering needlessly from preventable diseases, and too many are dying prema- turely. Quality Education More than half of the children and adolescents worldwide are not meeting minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics. Refocused efforts are needed to improve the quality of education. 1 Gender Equality Gender inequality continues to hold women back and de- prives them of basic rights and opportunities. Empowering women requires addressing structural issues such as unfair social norms and attitudes as well as developing progressive legal frameworks that promote equality between women and men. Clean Water and Sanitation Too many people still lack access to safely managed water supplies and sanitation facilities. Water scarcity, flooding and lack of proper wastewater management also hinders social and economic development of the nation. Affordable and Clean Energy Ensuring access to affordable, reliable and modern energy for all has come one step closer due to recent progress in electrification, particularly in LDCs and improvements in in- dustrial energy efficiency. However, national priorities and policy ambitions still need to be strengthened to steer the world on track to meet the energy targets for 2030. Decent Work and Economic Growth More progress is needed to increase employment opportu- nities, especially for young people, reduce informal employ- ment and labour market inequality (particularly in terms of the gender pay gap), promote safe and secure working envi- ronments and improve access to financial services to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure To achieve inclusive and sustainable industrialization, com- petitive economic forces need to be unleashed to generate employment and income, facilitate international trade and enable the efficient use of resources. 2 Reduced Inequality Efforts have been made in some countries to reduce income inequality. However, progress will need to accelerate to re- duce growing disparities within and among countries. Sustainable Cities and Communities Many cities around the world are facing acute challenges in managing rapid urbanization— from ensuring adequate hous- ing and infrastructure to supporting growing populations; to confronting the environmental impact of urban sprawl and to reducing vulnerability towards disasters. Responsible Consumption and Production Decoupling economic growth from resource use is one of the most critical and complex challenges facing humanity today. Doing so effectively will require policies that create a condu- cive environment for such change, through social and phys- ical infrastructure and markets; a profound transformation of business practices along global value chains. Climate Action The world continues to experience rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions (the North Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest ever recorded) and increasing concentration of greenhouse gases. This calls for urgent and accelerated action by countries as they implement their commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Life Below Water Advancing the sustainable use and conservation of the oceans continues to require effective strategies and man- agement to combat the adverse effects of overfishing, grow- ing ocean acidification and worsening coastal eutrophication. The expansion of protected areas for marine biodiversity, intensification of research capacity and increases in ocean science funding remain critically important to preserve ma- rine resources. 3 Life on Land Protection of forest and terrestrial ecosystems is on the rise and forest loss has slowed. That said, other facets of terres- trial conservation continue to demand accelerated action to protect biodiversity, land productivity and genetic resources and to curtail the loss of species. Peace, Justice and Strong Institution Many regions of the world continue to suffer untold horrors as a result of armed conflict or other forms of violence that occur within societies and at the domestic level. Advances in promoting the rule of law and access to justice are uneven. However, progress is being made in regulations to promote public access to information, albeit slowly, and in strengthen- ing institutions upholding human rights at the national level. Partnership for The Goals Goal 17 seeks to strengthen global partnerships to sup- port and achieve the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda, bringing together national governments, the international community, civil society, the private sector and other actors. Despite advances in certain areas, more needs to be done to accelerate progress. All stakeholders will have to refocus and intensify their efforts on areas where progress has been slow. 4 South Asia Regional Challenges Create jobs through balanced economic transformation through sustainable industri- alization Industrialization (SDG 9) and robust economic growth, in- cluding the creation of productive jobs (SDG 8), are critical enablers for poverty alleviation (SDG 1) and other SDGs. South Asia has emerged as one of the fastest growing sub- regions in the world, but this growth has not been creating adequate jobs for its youthful population, and 80% of the workforce remains in the informal sector. Provide essential basic services to all and ac- celerate sustainable infrastructure development South Asian countries are characterized by wide gaps in transport infrastructure (SDG 9), basic infrastructure, such as drinking water and sanitation (SDG 6), electricity (SDG 7), and ICT (information and communications technology), costing the subregion 3-4% of GDP and affecting the achievement of other SDGs. Estimates suggest that South Asia per capita in- comes would increase roughly 1% for each percentage point increase in infrastructure availability. Provide universal access to education and health to harness South Asia’s youth bulge Investing in universal health coverage (SDG 3), quality edu- cation and vocational