Association for Supporting the SDGs for the United Nations (ASD)
The Association for Supporting the SDGs for the UN (ASD) is an international nongovernmental organization that holds special consultative status to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
ASD is an independent organization that does not represent or belong to the United Nations. As an organization in Special Consultative Status with the ECOSOC, ASD extends various partnerships with diverse UN organizations through official MOUs.
Furthermore, Jung Hoon Kim, the representative of ASD, concurrently designated the position of Senior Research Associate at UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development), a prominent research body within the United Nations, and undertakes advisory roles for the United Nations.
The official name of ASD has been authorized by the UN Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the NGO commission and is also an asset of ASD. ASD is a global organization that spreads the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) internally and externally. Institutions and companies that have partnered with the association, are strongly urged to use the correct (exact) name of the association.
We, the Association for Supporting the SDGs for the UN, introduce the best practices of the sustainable management models of major domestic and foreign companies. and ASD takes part in the UN Economic and Social Council committees, including the UN High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF), and establishes an SDGs implementation network with the UN high-level and global leaders.
And ASD supports the National Assembly and corporations to engage in activities on the UN SDGs and ESG, also provides specific guidance in expanding sustainable business, in fields including climate change, net zero, green transition. and ASD is the secretariat of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea ESG Public-Private Policy Forum.
On the 20th of June 2022, our Association and the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea jointly founded the ‘National Assembly of the Republic of Korea ESG Public-Private Policy Forum’. Multi stakeholders participated in the forum, inclusive of the National Assembly, national government, and diverse actors of the private sector.
The objective and role of the National Assembly forum are to support the government and National Assembly on topics of climate change, net zero, sustainable finance, and green energy, and accelerate their initiation. In this light, we actively communicate with both the public and private sectors on ESG topics and liaise with organizations more vigorously to proliferate its policies.
Currently, ASD is jointly planning more than 20 ESG-SDG projects with 50 global companies and provides professional consulting to the government, the National Assembly, and public institutions on global ESG regulations
And most importantly, we have expertise in finance, environment, ESG, and parliamentary affairs. Furthermore, we deal with projects in the following areas (financial, environmental, population development, climate response, global warming, carbon and plastic reduction, urban housing, fashion, livestock industry, water, small-loan finance, infectious, transportation, energy, law, migration, etc.).
We have formed partnerships and networks in cooperation with the following global organizations for the betterment of SDGs and ESG consulting of companies and parliaments
- ASD is the secretariat of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea ESG Public-Private Policy Forum.
- Research partner of UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development)
- Observer to the governing body of the UN Environment Programme
- ASD is the Observer of the ICMA (International Capital Market Association)’s Green and Social Bond Principles organization. ICMA (International Capital Market Association)’s ESG Bond Principles must be followed in order for an entity to issue ESG bonds, and ASD evaluates the sustainability and SDGs mapping of bonds issued under these principles.
- ASD also has expertise in the food sector as a partner of the United Nations Initiative on Global Sustainable Production and Consumption, 10YFP (10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns) SFS (Sustainable Food Systems).
- Member of the SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) Consultant Content Program of the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) Foundation.
- Support of TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures).
- Member of the forum of TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures).
Notably, ASD provides global strategies in the fields of environmental management, sustainable management, corporate social responsibility, and ESG by annually publishing and selecting global companies through the Sustainable Development Goals Business Index (SDGBI).
During the 2019 HLPF, ASD announced the Global Sustainable Leaders / Brand 100 (the most sustainable leaders and brands around the world) and has since reported on the enterprises, brands, and global leaders with excellent sustainable practices by analyzing 500 global companies.
In October 2022, ASD opened an office in Tallinn, Estonia, and through SDGs activities, we look toward discovering sustainability best practices of Estonian and Korean companies. ASD will search to discover excellent sustainability practices of Estonian and Korean companies through SDGs activities and work as a consultant to support both companies to strengthen ties in solving food problems and responding to climate challenges, carbon-neutral goals, and sustainable finance.
The expectations and support of the UN and the international community for ASD’s activities can be found below in the official letter from the Deputy Secretary-General
Official letter from the Deputy Secretary-General to encourage the association’s activities
