Annual Asia-Pacific Regional Platform for Advancing Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)Convened in Thailand as a Strategic Regional Cooperation Hub
Announced at the Climate Action Forum 2025
at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok
Establishment
The Climate and Sustainability Capital Forum, hereinafter referred to as CSCAP, is hereby established as an annual Asia-Pacific regional multi-stakeholder platform initiated through the strategic cooperation between AFMA and SUSTAINISM, with the purpose of advancing Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), sustainable market transformation, and responsible economic development across the Asia-Pacific region.
Within this cooperation framework, AFMA serves as an international organization established by UN ESCAP and FAO to support regional and international development cooperation. SUSTAINISM serves as an SDG Custodian Support Mechanism, designed to connect the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SCP, with practical business implementation, sustainable market standards, supply-chain transformation, finance, innovation, and evidence-based disclosure mechanisms.
CSCAP is established to convene international organizations, public-sector policymakers, private enterprises, buyers, investors, financial institutions, civil society, agricultural producers, innovators, and users across the Asia-Pacific region. Its purpose is to transform sustainability commitments into market mechanisms, credible standards, sustainable supply chains, and practical cooperation pathways that can advance SCP in a measurable, inclusive, and market-relevant manner.
CSCAP may be convened in Thailand, including at the United Nations, Bangkok, or within a meeting context related to UN ESCAP, as appropriate, subject to venue arrangements, institutional coordination, and applicable administrative procedures. Thailand shall serve as a strategic regional convening hub for CSCAP. The use of such venue or meeting context shall not, by itself, constitute endorsement, approval, certification, or official recognition by the United Nations, unless expressly stated in writing by the competent United Nations entity.
Purpose
The purpose of CSCAP is to support the practical implementation of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) across the Asia-Pacific region by connecting policy, standards, markets, supply chains, finance, innovation, technology, and disclosure mechanisms.
CSCAP is established to ensure that sustainability does not remain limited to statements of intent or fragmented voluntary activities, but is translated into an operational market pathway through which enterprises, public-sector institutions, buyers, investors, and relevant stakeholders can cooperate to generate sustainability outcomes that are structured, transparent, evidence-based, and connected to the real economy.
The central objective of CSCAP is to transform SCP from policy language into a regional market mechanism that strengthens enterprise readiness, connects sustainable supply chains, builds buyer confidence, supports sustainable investment, and enables businesses to grow on the basis of environmental, social, and governance responsibility.
Through this role, CSCAP seeks to position the Asia-Pacific region as a practical implementation space for sustainable market transformation, with Thailand serving as a strategic hub for convening dialogue, partnerships, standards pathways, and market cooperation.
Core Mandates of CSCAP
CSCAP shall serve as a central platform and cooperation mechanism for advancing SCP through five principal mandates.
First, regional policy direction for SCP.
CSCAP shall serve as a regional policy dialogue platform to advance SCP, sustainable market transition, and responsible economic development across the Asia-Pacific region. It shall facilitate exchange among international organizations, public-sector institutions, private enterprises, financial actors, civil society, and relevant stakeholders.
Second, presentation of sustainable business and market models.
CSCAP shall provide a platform for the presentation of sustainable business models, market mechanisms, innovation models, supply-chain solutions, and implementation pathways that support SCP, ESG, responsible production, sustainable procurement, and climate-aligned economic transition. Such models should be capable of informing practical implementation and replication across regional markets.
Third, connection of partners, buyers, and sustainable investors.
CSCAP shall facilitate cooperation among enterprises, regional buyers, cross-border partners, investors, financial institutions, public agencies, and sustainability networks in order to strengthen sustainable supply chains, responsible procurement, access to green finance, and market confidence across the Asia-Pacific region.
Fourth, announcement of sustainable standards, pathways, and market mechanisms.
CSCAP shall serve as a structured platform for the announcement, presentation, or introduction of sustainability standards, voluntary measures, recognition pathways, and market-readiness mechanisms, including initiatives developed or implemented under CSCAP-related frameworks. Such announcements shall be communicated with accuracy, caution, and legal clarity, and shall not be represented as certification, approval, endorsement, or official recognition by the United Nations unless expressly supported by official documentation.
Fifth, recognition announcements and sustainability awards.
CSCAP shall provide a formal regional platform for the announcement of recognition, acknowledgements, and sustainability-related awards for enterprises, institutions, initiatives, and stakeholders that demonstrate contribution to SCP, sustainable supply-chain development, market transformation, innovation, finance, or evidence-based sustainability implementation. Such recognition or awards shall be communicated according to their stated scope, criteria, governance arrangement, and applicable documentation, and shall not be represented as certification, verification, regulatory approval, investment endorsement, or official recognition by the United Nations unless expressly supported by official documentation.
Functions of CSCAP
CSCAP shall perform the following functions:
- Convene an annual Asia-Pacific regional forum on Sustainable Consumption and Production, sustainable finance, sustainable supply chains, and market-based sustainability mechanisms.
- Support the development and public presentation of sustainability standards, including the CS Standard and related pathways intended to create credible market references for buyers, enterprises, and stakeholders across regional markets.
- Support the development of voluntary transition mechanisms, including SSA-B Sustainable Impact Chain Recognition, as a pathway for enterprises to disclose information, align practices, build evidence, engage buyers, and progressively advance toward CS Standard readiness.
- Promote sustainability innovation, including SCP innovation, MRV, traceability, circular solutions, responsible production, and market-applicable sustainability technologies across regional innovation ecosystems.
- Promote the responsible use of digital tools and artificial intelligence to support ESG implementation, sustainability data management, supply-chain analysis, MRV support, and evidence-based sustainability decision-making.
- Strengthen buyer confidence by improving the visibility, transparency, and credibility of suppliers that are progressing toward sustainable market standards.
- Support cooperation among public-sector institutions, private enterprises, financial actors, civil society, producers, and market stakeholders in advancing sustainable market transformation across the Asia-Pacific region, with Thailand serving as a strategic convening hub.
Stakeholder Architecture
CCSCAP shall operate as a multi-stakeholder regional platform comprising the following groups:
International organizations
to provide international perspectives, cooperation channels, and alignment with sustainable development priorities.
Regional and national public-sector policymakers
to connect public policy, national development priorities, regulatory direction, and support measures for sustainable economic transition across Asia-Pacific.
Private enterprises and business sectors
to translate SCP into practical implementation through products, services, production, procurement, supply-chain management, disclosure, and market participation.
Buyers and market actors
to support responsible procurement, supplier engagement, sustainable sourcing, and market confidence in sustainability-aligned supply chains across domestic and cross-border markets.
Financial and investment sectors
to connect sustainability performance, evidence, disclosure, and market-readiness mechanisms with green finance, sustainable investment, and access to capital.
Civil society, agricultural producers, communities, and users
to reflect real social, environmental, producer-level, and user-level concerns, ensuring that SCP implementation is inclusive, fair, and responsible.
Innovation and technology ecosystems
to support the development of sustainability innovation, MRV tools, digital traceability, AI-enabled sustainability solutions, and scalable implementation models across the region.
Annual CSCAP Forum
CSCAP shall be convened as an annual Asia-Pacific regional forum in Thailand to review progress, present initiatives, announce market-readiness pathways, facilitate cooperation, and advance practical SCP implementation.
The annual forum shall serve as a regional meeting point for policy, standards, markets, finance, innovation, technology, and sustainable supply-chain cooperation.
The annual forum shall provide a platform for:
- regional policy dialogue;
- presentation of sustainable market models;
- announcement of voluntary measures and standard pathways;
- engagement among suppliers, buyers, investors, and public-sector institutions;
- recognition announcements and sustainability awards;
- publication of selected outcomes, as appropriate;
- development of partnerships and implementation coalitions; and
- promotion of SCP as a practical economic pathway for the Asia-Pacific region.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
CSCAP is established to support the practical realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through regional implementation of SCP across the Asia-Pacific region, with particular emphasis on cross-border supply chains, responsible production, sustainable procurement, innovation, finance, and partnerships.
SDG 12 — Responsible Consumption and Production
through the promotion of sustainable production, responsible procurement, supply-chain transparency, and credible market mechanisms.
SDG 13 — Climate Action
through support for climate-aligned business models, data-driven sustainability action, and evidence-based transition pathways.
SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth
through sustainable enterprise development, SME upgrading, inclusive business participation, and responsible economic growth.
SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
through support for sustainability innovation, MRV systems, digital infrastructure, and market-applicable technologies.
SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals
through the creation of a regional multi-stakeholder platform for cooperation among public-sector institutions, private enterprises, buyers, investors, civil society, innovation ecosystems, and international actors.
Final Declaration
CSCAP is hereby established as an annual regional platform to accelerate the transition from sustainability intention to practical market implementation across the Asia-Pacific region.
The purpose of CSCAP is to transform Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) from policy language into market mechanisms, from fragmented initiatives into structured regional pathways, from voluntary measures into credible sustainability standards, and from isolated supply chains into Sustainable Impact Chains that can support responsible production, sustainable procurement, and market confidence across borders.
Convened in Thailand as a strategic hub for regional cooperation, CSCAP seeks to connect policymakers, enterprises, buyers, investors, financial institutions, innovators, civil society, producers, and users across the Asia-Pacific region. Through policy dialogue, standard development, supply-chain readiness, innovation, finance, recognition mechanisms, awards, and multi-stakeholder cooperation, CSCAP aims to support a more transparent, responsible, and sustainable market economy for the Asia-Pacific region, while contributing to the global sustainable development agenda.
