 Identifying the climate change data needs of the financial services sector - Invitation to participate in global survey.
5 February, 2010 A current survey, undertaken jointly by UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the German Sustainable Business Institute (SBI) with the support of the Federal Government of Germany, targets financial institution professionals and aims to determine:
- how and to what extent are financial institutions of different kinds - lenders, investors and insurers - already affected by climate change and how will their exposure develop in the future?
- what are the information needs of the financial services sector with regards to the physical impacts of climate change?
- how well are financial institutions already equipped with the climate change information needed and where are gaps?
Download the questionnaire from here.
World’s largest investors urge prompt action on climate change policies
14 January, 2010 New York City, NY: The world’s largest investors released a statement calling on the U.S. and other governments to quickly adopt strong national climate policies that will establish a stable investment climate and thus spur low-carbon investments to reduce emissions causing climate change. At December’s Copenhagen Climate Change Summit it was estimated that private-sector investors will need to finance more than 85 percent of the global transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Investor Statement on Catalyzing Investment in a Low-Carbon Economy calls for rapid action on carbon emission limits, energy efficiency, renewable energy, financing mechanisms and other policies. The statement was endorsed by four groups representing more than 190 investors with more than US$ 13 trillion of assets – Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).
UNEP FI and PRI joint webinar: Outcomes and implications of the historic UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
6 January, 2010 This webinar brings together a panel of UNEP Finance Initiative, UN PRI and IIGCC (Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change) signatories to discuss the implications of Copenhagen for investors and for the finance sector. The webinar provides an update on the following fundamental issues:
- The backbone of any global climate change agreement: emission targets by developed and mitigation action by developing countries
- The future of the flexible mechanisms, carbon markets and the new role of avoiding deforestation
- New roles and markets for institutional investors and insurers under the future international climate change regime
The webinar is open to UNEP Finance Initiative, UN PRI and IIGCC Signatories only!
More information.
UNEP FI at COP 15: Giving a voice to the financial services sector
7 December, 2009 
If climate change is to be tackled effectively, all scenarios going forward suggest that business, private finance and the capital markets will have to play a major role in the battle against climate change - much more concerted action will be needed than in the past. Against this background, UNEP FI’s presence at the COP 15 gives a voice to private lenders, insurers and investors on what is required from the future climate change regime in order to better mobilise the skills, entrepreneurship and products of the private sector in what remains one the greatest global challenges of the 21st century.
It is about clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of the industry and discussing how these can be effectively embedded into the international climate change regime of the future.
Watch how UNEP FI enables a dialogue between finance professionals and senior climate change negotiators:
Video: Global investors state urgent need for a global agreement on climate change (6:21 minutes - ClimateTalks.tv)
Join your peers in speaking up on climate change at COP15
UNEP FI launches "Owner-Tenant Engagement in Responsible Property Investing" report
3 December, 2009 Successful Responsible Property Investment strategies often depend on owner-tenant cooperation. This report presents several stories from leading property organizations that are committed to sustainability and responsible investing on innovative ways to promote better cooperation between owners and tenants.
Read the report.
UNEP Finance Initiative 2009 Global Roundtable
22 October, 2009 
 
Session presentations are available on some of the session webpages. Audio for each Plenary session is also available. You may obtain a copy of the audio of the other sessions by contacting the Secretariat. (View sessions through links on the Programme page.)
The first ever UNEP FI Global Roundtable to take place in Africa was a great success with over 450 participants travelling from across the world to Cape Town where the city hosted its first "Green Week". The event saw a mixture of bankers, insurers, investors, academia and government officials discuss the latest ideas and challenges in the sustainability agenda. Vibrant discussions were also had around the event's theme topics, "Financing change, Changing finance", in light of the financial crisis and with the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP 15, taking place in Copenhagen in December 2009. UNEP FI's global network of regional Task Forces and partner organizations attended in large numbers as over 200 of participants from abroad brought their informed perspectives exploring regional and national developments.
For further information on the event, please contact: roundtable [at] unepfi.org
View list of publications launched and featured at the Global Roundtable.
UNEP FI Insurance Working Group unveils ground-breaking report on the global state of sustainable insurance
22 October, 2009 Cape Town/Geneva/Nairobi
The UNEP FI Insurance Working Group has launched a ground-breaking report exploring the complex relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, core insurance operations, and the insurance industry.
The landmark report, with forewords from UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, and HRH The Prince of Wales, is titled, “The global state of sustainable insurance – Understanding and integrating environmental, social and governance factors in insurance”. It is based on a pioneering global survey conducted this year by the UNEP FI Insurance Working Group, comprising the world’s leading insurers, and its Academic Working Group, comprising renowned academic institutions from North America and Europe, on the understanding and integration of ESG factors in insurance underwriting and product development.
The comprehensive survey covered a wide spectrum of ESG factors as they relate to the insurance business, primarily—climate change, biodiversity loss & ecosystem degradation, water management, pollution, financial inclusion, human rights, emerging manmade health risks, ageing populations, regulations, disclosure, ethics & principles, and alignment of interests.
The survey obtained respondents from 60 territories worldwide—from Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and Latin America & the Caribbean—with over 3,800 years of cumulative insurance experience, and generated nearly 2,700 pages of data.
Read more
View the report
View the official UNEP press release
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