22-23 May, 1997 | New York, USA The objective of the Third UNEP International Rountable Meeting on Finance and the Environment was to explore the links between financial and environmental performance and thereby foster the integration of strategic environmental issues in credit and investment decision-making. This conference theme was proposed in response to studies conducted by Yale University, on behalf of the United Nations, Business in the Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and others. These studies indicated that environmental liabilities and other downside issues are generally understood by financial actors, but that the implications of environmental issues to a company’s competitive position, time-to-market, and access to the global markets are poorly understood by the financial community and thus often overlooked in financial analysis. The conference was attended by more than 350 bankers and other financial executives, industry representatives, academics and public sector officials. Participants valued the opportunity of exchanging views and information with colleagues and associates from more than 20 different countries around the globe. Overwhelmingly participants agreed that the time is right to identify and grasp opportunities for good business within the environmental sphere. This conference formed part of UNEP’s series of international roundtable meetings on finance and the environment.