UNEP FI and partners launch global insurance industry statement on adapting to climate change in developing countries | |
UNEP FI, in collaboration with three insurance initiatives, The Geneva Association, the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative and ClimateWise, has developed a global insurance industry statement on adapting to climate change in developing countries. In the context of the ongoing climate change negotiations, the statement seeks to highlight the huge potential benefits that an enhanced use of commercial insurance policies can play in reducing the vulnerabilities of developing countries. In particular, the insurance industry can support adaptation efforts by harnessing its expertise in risk management, by helping to incentivise loss reduction mechanisms, by developing new insurance products and by raising awareness among the many stakeholders of the insurance industry, including governments and climate change negotiators. The Statement will be launched on 6 Sept 2010 in London, UK. |
Months before the UN climate change negotiations, Paul Clements-Hunt visits China to engage policymakers and financial institutions
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Mr. Paul Clements-Hunt, Head of UNEP FI, and Ms. Wei Peng, UNEP FI Asia Pacific Task Force Coordinator, are visiting China in early September this year. Months before the UN climate change negotiations, they will take the opportunity to engage senior policy officials and leading financial institutions with the purpose of discussing China's vision of its 'green finance' future. Interested media representatives are invited to get in touch for interviews with Mr. Clements-Hunt, whose schedule in China is the following: 1-5 Sept, Beijing; 6 Sept, Shanghai; 7-9 Sept, Xiamen. See the full Media Information Note... |
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 Laureate for Chemistry, will give the keynote speech. More on Mario Molina... |
Shenzhen Development Bank (SDB) joins UNEP FI family
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 Shenzhen Development Bank (SDB) is a commercial bank headquartered in Shenzhen, China, with over 302 outlets in 20 leading cities. With an orientation towards financing small- and medium-sized enterprises, SDB's assets totaled 587 billion yuan at the end of 2009. SDB has a track record of promoting sustainable development. This includes the integration of environmental factors into its risk management strategy, the issuing of internal guidelines for extending credit to projects that promote energy savings and emission reductions, and the implementation of financial services that enable enterprises to enhance their environmental practices and upgrade to eco-friendlier equipment. More on Shenzhen Development Bank... |
UNEP FI releases the second issue of the Chief Liquidity Series, focused on the power sector
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 The Chief Liquidity Series of water materiality briefings informs risk analysts, portfolio managers and sustainability experts about financial risks and emerging opportunities associated with water challenges across a range of particularly exposed sectors and hydrologically diverse geographies. Following the first issue, on agribusiness, on 6 Sept UNEP FI is releasing the second issue, on the power generation sector, which focuses specifically on thermal power and hydropower and, to a lesser extent, solar energy. The report finds that increasing water scarcity due to climate change and higher demand is posing material challenges for financial institutions in exposed sectors, such as power generation in water-scarce areas. By asking the right questions, financial institutions can play a role in carefully identifying and therefore minimizing risk exposure due to water availability. UNEP FI has developed a number of performance indicators for thermal power and a number of key issues to consider for hydropower projects. Performance indicators can be used as part of an engagement process with clients in the power sector, or as part of due diligence. |
The Institute of Catastrophe Risk Management (ICRM) at Nanyang Technological University joins UNEP FI's Academic Working Group
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 UNEP FI welcomes the Institute of Catastrophe Risk Management (ICRM) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, into its Academic Working Group. ICRM, the first multidisciplinary risk management research institute of its kind in Asia, aims to study the long-term costs of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, floods and droughts, as well as of nontraditional risks, including infectious diseases and terrorism. The institute, through the creation of a comprehensive database of catastrophes, both past and present, will develop tools and models to enable governments and the insurance industry to better analyze potential losses and to create robust risk-management strategies and policies. With particular expertise in Asia, the ICRM is an invaluable addition to UNEP FI's Insurance Commission's efforts in establishing a draft set of principles for sustainable insurance. More on ICRM... |
Joint session of the UNEP FI Property Working Group on responsible property investment and energy-efficient buildings at Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland | |
On 10 Sept, the UNEP FI Property Working Group will hold a joint session on responsible property investment and energy-efficient buildings at the Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland. The panel discussion will explore the fundamental principles that lie behind the concept of responsible property investment (RPI) and will focus on key drivers and barriers, risks and opportunities, and benefits that can be realised from adopting an RPI approach. Moderator: Andrew Szyman, Head of Sustainability at F&C REIT Asset Management and a member of the UNEP FI Property Working Group. More information here... |
The forming of the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC)
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The Prince's Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced the formation of the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC). The world has never faced greater challenges: overconsumption of finite natural resources; climate change; and the need to provide clean water, food and a better standard of living for a growing global population. Decisions made in tackling these issues need to be based on clear and comprehensive information, but, as the Prince of Wales has said, we are at present "battling to meet 21st-century challenges with, at best, 20th-century decision-making and reporting systems". Visit the IIRC's website. See the press release and the Q&A. |
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Our People |
UNEP FI Climate Change Coordinator Remco Fischer is UNEP's Expert of the Day
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Ask Remco a question about the finance sector's role in the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun. |
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Online Courses |
Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for the Finance Sector
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The course aims to equip staff in financial institutions with enhanced knowledge on climate change and carbon finance, specifically the Kyoto Protocol's flexible mechanisms, and to provide support for the development of effective internal policies and products.
Language: English
Dates: 11 Oct-1 Nov 2010
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Tune In |
The Formation of the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC)
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Online Course |
Corporate Ecoefficiency in Financial Institutions |
This online course is a joint product of UNEP FI and the Ecobanking Project. It seeks to train middle and high-level managers responsible for operational and procurement matters within their institutions on how to make efficient use of the resources involved in the daily internal operations of financial institutions and thus reduce their environmental footprint.
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Launch |
UNEP FI Member Nedbank launches the quarterly Nedbank Sustainability Outlook
in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership
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Out Now | |
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Read about what UNEP FI did in 2009, how many new members we welcomed, how we intend to pave the road to Rio+20 and who will lead the Initiative towards its 20th birthday.
Read the Overview. |
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