For the third consecutive year, the Aboitiz Group has been elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Global Compact Network Philippines during its general assembly held on 5 March.

The Group, represented by Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer and Aboitiz Foundation President Ana Margarita Hontiveros-Malvar, synergizes with co-members in the private sector to empower the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises towards sustainability-driven growth.

The GCNP is the local entity of the UN Global Compact in the Philippines, a United Nations-led initiative that enjoins businesses to operate according to its Ten Principles anchored on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.

It also organizes companies to contribute to wider community development that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. GCNP provides a platform and avenue for local businesses to collaborate, communicate and share best practices in helping develop MSMEs.

Hontiveros-Malvar joins fellow new Board of Trustees members including International Care Ministries Director Dennis Montecillo, Ayala Corporation Group Risk Management and Sustainability Head Ma. Victoria Tan, Philippine Marketing Association Former President Maria Luz Javier, and Manila Doctors Hospital Director Dr. Hian Ho N. Kua.

Aboitiz is co-lead of the Prosperity Pillar alongside SM Investments Corporation. Together with the People and Planet Pillars, they form the core focus groups of GCNP.

“As the Prosperity Pillar of GCNP, our main objective is to help upscale and upskill MSMEs in their journey towards not just survival but of prosperity,” Hontiveros-Malvar said. She further outlined the pillar’s strategies during the general assembly, focusing on MSMEs engagement and participation in more aspects of the economy.

In 2023, the Prosperity Pillar successfully organized educational support including webinars for MSMEs, with at least 21 MSME cooperative participants completing a comprehensive training under the “Byaheng Digiskarte” program.

“Byaheng Digiskarte” was first implemented by the Aboitiz Foundation several years ago to help MSMEs and cooperatives adversely affected by the pandemic by training them to leverage digital tools in conducting and enhancing their respective trades.

The program empowered them to adapt swiftly to an ever-evolving business environment and onboarded them onto digital platforms so that they could start online businesses.

Similar upskilling programs train participants to perform business continuity planning to ensure resilience and enhance marketing strategies to maintain their competitiveness in their sectors.

For 2024, the pillar aims to increase the number of MSME beneficiaries and ensure the programs help them increase their income by at least 10%.