Nobel Laureate Mario Molina to give keynote speech at UNEP FI event months before COP 16 in Cancun
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Months before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico, where parties will aim to negotiate a new global deal on climate change, UNEP FI will hold the event "The Financial Sector Towards COP 16" on 9 Sept in Mexico City, together with the Banking Association of Mexico (ABM) and the National Institute of Ecology. The event will be hosted by the ABM at the Bankers Club, where Mario Molina, Nobel Laureatte for Chemistry, will give the keynote speech. More on Mario Molina... |
Chiba Bank joins UNEP FI, cherry blossoms and more
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"From small acorns great oak trees grow. Chibas Bank's joining is an important step, and we shall take that message to the Secretary-General", announces Paul Clements-Hunt
 UNEP FI welcomed Chiba Bank, the second largest regional bank in Japan in terms of assets, as its newest member. The membership of Chiba Bank became official at a signing ceremony at Palais des Nations in Geneva, after Mr. Hidetoshi Sakuma, President of Chiba Bank, and Mr. Paul Clements-Hunt, Head of UNEP FI, signed the UNEP Statement by Financial Institutions on the Environment and Sustainable Development. "It is a great pleasure to attend this ceremony, and I am very grateful for the support provided by UNEP FI", said Mr. Sakuma. "Prior to the ceremony, Mr. Clements-Hunt provided, on two different occasions, seminars on the role of financial institutions in fostering a low-carbon society". Read the story and watch the video. |
UNEP FI welcomes on board Standard Bank, the largest South African banking group
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 Standard Bank, the largest South African banking group ranked by assets and earnings, joined the Initiative. Standard Bank, with an emerging market focus, has a wide representation that spans 33 countries and more than 6,500 local branches on the African continent. Standard Bank's approach to sustainability is less about drastic changes in the way it does business and more about modifying the way it thinks about the inter-linkages between operations, the dynamics within emerging markets, and the constraints and opportunities of the global environment. Standard Bank embarked upon its sustainability reporting journey in 2002 and has employed the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) - including the Financial Services Sector Supplement indicators - as a guide. More on Standard Bank... |
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First member from New Zealand joins the UNEP FI family
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 UNEP FI welcomed Sovereign - the largest life insurer in New Zealand - which provides personal and business life insurance, health insurance, and home loan, investment and superannuation products to more than 650,000 customers. As a business committed to policyholders' long-term interest, Sovereign recognises the imperativeness of actively taking steps to create a compelling future for all its stakeholders - customers, colleagues and community. Sustainability at Sovereign means that it should become an integral part of business strategy and process and includes promoting health and well-being in local communities through Sovereign Sunshine. More on Sovereign... |
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New successful online course: Energy Efficiency Financing in Buildings (FEEE)
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"This course broke down stereotypes I had about energy efficiency, given that before starting the course I thought that the setup of a process of this nature was nearly impossible. But throughout the course I understood that simple measures put in place with precision allowed for obtaining the expected results."
Lyz Magaly Jara of Mutualista Pichincha, Ecuador
The pilot online course Energy Efficiency Financing in Buildings (FEEE) ran for the first time from 14 June to 2 July. The course is a product of the INCAE Business School, Capacity Building International (InWent) and UNEP FI, through the Ecobanking Project, and in collaboration with the Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE). The project was developed thanks to the support of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety ( BMU). The objective is to promote the transition towards a low-carbon economy, by showing lenders how they can develop green financial products/services geared towards the financing and investment of energy-efficiency projects, specifically in buildings. This pilot course finished successfully on 2 July with a total of 24 participants from various financial institutions across a number of countries, including Peru, Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay. See more... |
Former UNEP FI Human Rights Work Stream Co-Chair appointed Head of Responsible Investment at Osmosis Investment Management
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Dr. Rory Sullivan, formerly the Co-Chair of UNEP FI's Human Rights Work Stream, the lead author of UNEP FI's CEO Human Rights Briefing and the Editor of Business and Human Rights: Dilemmas and Solutions, has been appointed Head of Responsible Investment at Osmosis Investment Management. Rory was previously with Insight Investment, where he established Insight as one of the world's leaders in sustainable finance, for the manner in which it integrated environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into its investment decisions and for the quality of its engagement with companies and policy-makers on these issues. June Aitken, CEO of Osmosis Investment Management, commented: "As investors, we have a fundamental obligation, to our clients and to society at large, to enhance and protect the quality of the companies in which we are invested. Rory's appointment will enable us to deliver on this objective, through ensuring the long-term sustainability of our investments". |
UNEP FI hosts an interactive seminar, Energy Efficiency Financing, for a Chinese delegation
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 An 18-person delegation from China Export-Import Bank and the State-Council attended the seminar on 19 July in Geneva, joined by guests from the University of Amsterdam, Holland Financial Center and UNEP FI member Sustainable Development Capital, LLP (SDCL). The delegation introduced the Chinese government's policies on energy efficiency and conservation, and the extensive efforts that Exim Bank has made to provide financing and technical support for energy-efficiency projects for industrial facilities in China. The guest speakers shared with their Chinese peers the various experiences in energy-efficiency financing by their institutions, as well as in their countries. |
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Report for Business launched
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 Business leaders in biodiversity-rich developing economies are concerned about losses of "natural capital", according to TEEB Report for Business. Over 50 percent of chief executive officers surveyed in Latin America and 45 percent in Africa see declines in biodiversity as a challenge to business growth. In contrast, less than 20 percent of their counterparts in Western Europe share such concerns. The findings, compiled in a study of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), indicate that those corporate chiefs who fail to make sustainable management of biodiversity part of their business plans may find themselves increasingly out of step with the marketplace. The financial sector, as underlined by the UNEP FI Biodiversity & Ecosystems Services Working Group's contribution to the report, has a key role to play. Read the press release in English, Spanish, Arabic, French and Chinese. See the Executive Summary and the support for TEEB Report for Business voiced by UNEP FI members... |
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Our People |
UNEP FI's Asia Pacific Taskforce Coordinator Wei Peng is UNEP's Expert of the Day
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Overview |
UNEP FI's Annual Overview 2009 | |
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Tune In | |
Paul Clements-Hunt welcomes Chiba Bank to the UNEP FI family | |
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A Few Spots Remaining | |
Environmental and Social Risk Analysis Online Course
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A product of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), the German development agency Capacity Building International (InWent) and the INCAE Business School, with the support of the Ecobanking Project.
Aim: To train risk managers and analysts working in the fields of commercial, corporate, investment and retail banking - and located in or dealing with developing countries and emerging markets - in the identification, analysis and management of the environmental and social risks generated through their lending and investment activities. |
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Sustainability Report |
UNEP FI member State Street issues 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Overview
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Accolades | |
UNEP FI member The Co-operators named No.
2 among the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights magazine
Kathy Bardswick, Co-operators' CEO and President  |
The Co-operators' standards were acknowledged with regard to employees' health and quality of pension, the diversity of the board of directors and senior management, executive compensation and board independence,
as well as accountability for sustainability within an organization - including board-level committees. See the ranking... | |
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Members Only |
Call for submission of best practice cases: UNEP FI members only
UNEP FI members are invited to submit a best practice case on sustainable finance and responsible investment. UNEP FI is in the process of establishing a "Best Practice" feature, the aim of which is to increase the visibility of your sustainable finance projects, and to help promote best practice through leading by example. The cases will be displayed on UNEP FI's and UNEP's websites, included in UNEP FI's member extranet and in members-only messages, among others.
If you are interested in raising the profile of one of your sustainable finance projects, contact Leor Nadison (leor.nadison@unep.org), who is coordinating this feature. |
*The Best Practices feature is a continuation of ESRO Best Practices Tool. |
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