Just a few days ago, Singapore officially launched its Sustainability Reporting Body of Knowledge (SR BOK)—a comprehensive guide to help training providers develop sustainability reporting programs aligned with ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board) standards. The document was published by Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
This move is part of Singapore’s broader strategy to build workforce capacity in climate disclosures and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues, and to advance the Singapore Green Plan 2030. The SR BOK has already gained support from over 50 key stakeholders—including regulators, corporate reporters, assurance providers, and academic institutions.
Now the question is: When will Indonesia follow suit?
As the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia cannot afford to remain passive while the world moves rapidly toward sustainable transparency and disclosure.
With the SR BOK, Singapore isn’t just setting training standards—it’s building a talent pipeline that will underpin its entire sustainability reporting ecosystem. It’s a strategic investment in future-proofing their workforce.
In Indonesia, we’ve taken an important step through the OJK Regulation No. 51/POJK.03/2017, which mandates sustainability reporting for financial service institutions. But now, we’re facing an urgent need to develop competence and ensure consistent training quality for sustainability professionals.
Unfortunately, as of today, we still don’t have a national training framework to guide sustainability reporting education. Most training is fragmented, driven by private initiatives, consultants, or training agencies, and lacks a unified, competency-based approach.
This poses a structural challenge, considering the complexity of preparing a Sustainability Report (SR). It’s not just about understanding sustainability principles. Report preparers must grasp technical standards like ISSB and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), along with carbon footprint methodologies and climate disclosure protocols.
Singapore’s decision to codify technical competencies reflects their commitment to developing a qualified ESG workforce. With their SR BOK, professionals can now receive standardised training in areas such as GHG accounting, IFRS S1 and S2, and climate disclosure aligned with the GHG Protocol.
Indonesia needs to embrace a similar approach, especially considering that many of our professionals still lack structured ESG training.
The urgency is growing as Indonesia, through the OJK’s roadmap, is preparing to adopt ISSB-based sustainability disclosures for listed companies. The ISSB has integrated sustainability and financial disclosure into two key standards: IFRS S1 (general sustainability disclosure) and IFRS S2 (climate-related disclosure).
These standards demand a high level of preparedness—from materiality assessments and climate risk analysis, to GHG emissions measurement and transition strategies toward a low-carbon economy.
To rise to the challenge, Indonesia needs a certified training ecosystem with guaranteed quality. This will not only serve companies and assurance providers, but also meet the expectations of regulators and global stakeholders.
A nationally structured and supervised training system can bridge the competency gap that has long held us back. We need a national consortium involving regulators (like the OJK and Ministry of Finance), academics, professional associations, and industry leaders to design and formalize an Indonesian version of the Sustainability Reporting Body of Knowledge.
Beyond that, Indonesia should integrate sustainability reporting training into higher education curricula, especially in accounting, management, and business administration. Right now, sustainability is often treated as an elective topic, not a core part of learning. But the professional world has made it clear: those without sustainability skills risk being left behind.
It’s time to design a holistic national policy framework to build sustainability reporting capacity. This should include a national competency map, globally aligned training curricula, a certification and accreditation system, and even incentives for businesses to invest in long-term human capital development.
The goal is simple yet crucial: to establish regional leadership in the green economy. A serious national effort will strengthen investor confidence and drive better ESG practices across the board.
So the real question is no longer whether we should move in that direction, but when we’ll be ready to take bold steps—just like Singapore did.
The answer lies with us: the policymakers, practitioners, academics, and learners who are willing to transform the system from within.
