------------------------------------------------------------------------ Issue 10 May 2002 http://unepfi.net/ebulletin WSSD: Is Your Organisation Prepared For the Outcome? Join us in Budapest on June 24-25th to learn more! See Priority Events and http://unepfi.net/ceit ?O.618?? no.2 is now online at http://unepfi.net PRIORITY EVENTS 1. UNEP FI / INSEAD Expert Workshop - Sustainable Venture Finance (7, 8 June, 2002 - Fontainebleau, France) 2. Joint Workshop on Foreign Direct Investment - UNEP FI / UNEP Post Conflict Assessment Unit (19, 20 June, 2002 - Belgrade, Former Republic of Yugoslavia) 3. UNEP FI Regional Outreach Event - Countries with Economies in Transition (CEIT) (24, 25 June - Budapest, Hungary) MEMBER SHOWCASE 4. AXA Insurance Group signs up to UNEP FI ACTIVITIES 5. North American Task Force / Non Governmental Organisations Discussion (18 June - Washington DC, USA) EVENT WIRE 6. New Zealand Socially Responsible Investment Conference 2002 (21 May, 2002 - Auckland, New Zealand) 7. Workshop on Improved Investment Analysis Tools: Links to Sustainable Development (8 - 10 July, 2002 - Bratislava, Slovakia) 8. Africa Centre for Investment Analysis (ACIA) - 4th African Annual Investment Conference (24, 25 October, 2002 - Stellenbosch, South Africa) ADVERTISING For information on creative advertising opportunities in this or other publications from the United Nations Environment Programme?s Finance Initiatives please contact fi@unep.ch. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- PRIORITY EVENT 1. INSEAD Expert Workshop ? Sustainable Venture Finance 7, 8 June, 2002 ? Fontainebleau, France http://unepfi.net/venture Only eight spaces remain. INSEAD and UNEP FI will be joined by leading experts to start a research programme that will explore whether and when it is profitable to invest in sustainability-oriented venture capital funds and entrepreneurial ventures. Speakers include: Alan Gillespie - CEO, CDC Capital Partners H. Landis Gabel - Deputy Dean of INSEAD Brian Pearce - Centre for Sustainable Investment, Forum for the Future Leo Johnson - International Finance Corporation Adam Quarry - 3i Dr Rolf Wüstenhagen - Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) Jean-Pierre Sweerts - Rabobank Contact Jacob Malthouse (malthouj@unep.ch) Contact Anastasia O´Rourke (anastasia.orourke@insead.edu) 2. Joint Workshop on Foreign Direct Investment - UNEP FI / UNEP Post Conflict Assessment Unit 19, 20 June, 2002, Belgrade, Former Republic of Yugoslavia ?Foreign Direct Investment: Promoting a Sustainability Dynamic? is the theme of the two day high level workshop and it will aim to: - introduce key stakeholders to the opportunities, challenges and implications of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), - highlight public-private approaches and innovative financing mechanisms supporting sustainable FDI in FRY, - understand how to boost capacity within FRY to attract the ?right kind? of FDI and to maximise the related advantages, - discuss international and national best practices supporting the ?right kind? of FDI, based on case studies relevant to the FRY and transition economies. Contact Trevor Bowden (trevor.bowden@unep.ch) 3. Regional Outreach Event ? Countries with Economies in Transition (CEIT) 24, 25 June - Budapest, Hungary NO REGISTRATION FEE - REGISTER ONLINE NOW: www.unepfi.net/ceit/register This two-day roundtable conference will be the fourth in a series of UNEP FI Regional Outreach events and will explore the relationships between sustainability, the financial sector and foreign direct investment. It will also provide an international forum for senior financial service sector officials, members of the business community, representatives of governments and other stakeholders to explore how environmental factors affect corporate performance and ultimately shareholder value. The outcome and recommendations arrived at in Budapest will be compiled with those gained in the previous three events, and those from the UNEP FI Annual Roundtable Event (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 14-15th, 2002), and carried forward to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) discussions in South Africa in August. Contact Niamh O? Sullivan (niamh.o.sullivan@unep.ch) MEMBER SHOWCASE 5. AXA Insurance Group signs up to UNEP FI UNEP FI welcomes AXA Insurance Group as its 92nd member to the Insurance Industry Initiative. AXA joined UNEP III on April 23rd in a signing ceremony in Paris. The AXA Group based in France operates in both domestic and international markets: large international risks, assistance and reinsurance. It is present in approximately 60 countries and counts some 140,000 people (employees and agents) around the world. In 2001, the Group generated 94% of its revenues from insurance operations, spread essentially over three continents: North America Europe Asia-Pacific. Contact Caroline Desaegher (caroline.desaegher@axa.com) ACTIVITIES 6. North American Task Force (NATF) / Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) 18 June ? Washington DC, USA http://unepfi.net/natf/ngo Obtaining twenty-five proactive North American signatories to UNEP FI by 2004 is the ambitious goal of the UNEP FI NATF. NGOs and financial institutions will meet for one day in Washington DC to define a framework for interaction as the NATF moves swiftly toward fulfilling this mission. Contact Jacob Malthouse (malthouj@unep.ch) EVENT WIRE 7. New Zealand Socially Responsible Investment Conference 2002 21 May - Auckland, New Zealand http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/Programs/UNEP/ EPA Victoria and UNEP FI are hosting New Zealand?s first Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) conference, which will critically examine the past performance and future growth potential of the SRI market in New Zealand. - How does a firm?s social and environmental behaviour affect financial return? - Can financial planners increase market share by capturing their clients? non-financial objectives and maintaining a profit oriented investment portfolio? Keynote speakers include Jane Nelson, International Business Leaders Forum; Dr. Don Stammer, ING Australia; Tessa Tennant, Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia. Contact Mel Hewitson (melanie.hewitson@nz.towerlimited.com) Contact Helen Bloustein (helen.bloustein@epa.vic.gov.au) 8. Workshop on Improved Investment Analysis Tools: Links to Sustainable Development 8 ? 10 July, Bratislava, Slovakia http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/finance.htm The Slovak Ministry of the Environment will host this international Workshop in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Slovak Cleaner Production Centre. Participants will be from the financial sector in Eastern Europe, including commercial banks, investment banks, insurance companies and other players in financial markets. The workshop will include three training modules on new tools for integrating sustainability into the operations of financial institutions. These training modules will be presented by international experts in the field and will focus on mainstreaming sustainability into financial markets, while improving the economic performance of institutions in this field. Contact Alexandra Lang (langa@un.org) 9. Africa Centre for Investment Analysis (ACIA) 4th African Annual Investment Conference 24, 25 October, 2002 ? Stellenbosch, South Africa http://www.acia.sun.ac.za The conference, which will be held at the Spier Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, will run under the theme ?Essential Development Finance for the New African Union?. It aims to provide key policy-related solutions in finance and investment relevant to promoting sustainable development in Africa. Participants at the conference will include African governments, governors of reserve banks, CEOs of major financial institutions, micro lending organisation and stock markets, investors, and NGOs. Contact Lidia du Plessis (lidia@acia.sun.ac.za) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- END. The UNEP FI e-bulletin is a monthly publication of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiatives. United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology, Industry and Economics Economics and Trade Branch Finance Initiatives Unit Editors: Mareike Hussels mareike.hussels@unep.ch Jacob Malthouse malthouj@unep.ch Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of UNEP or UNEP FI, or of its signatories, nor does UNEP FI or its signatories take any responsibility for actions taken as a result of views or opinions expressed in this publication. Copyright 2002 - UNEP FI