Regional Activities

Australasia Group

Aim

To provide a forum to encourage and assist the Australasian finance sector to integrate best sustainability management practices across all aspects of their businesses.

Specific Goals

• To manage Australasian specific working groups in the following areas: environmental credit risk, operational environmental management and reporting, asset management and insurance (Learn more about the Australasian Advisory Committees);
• Publication of regular Australasian UNEP FI newsletters;
• Research and other service provision for financial institutions on sustainability best practice; and
• Support to Australian based UNEP FI signatories and outreach to non signatories in the region.

UNEP Finance Initiative and EPA Victoria

Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA Victoria) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) (PDF: 466KB) with UNEP to co-ordinate and promote its Finance Initiative activities in Australasia.

The MoU was signed in November 2000 at the Annual Conference of the UNEP FI.

For more information on this partnership, visit the EPA Victoria Finance Initiative website.

About EPA Victoria

For over 30 years, EPA Victoria has worked to protect the Victorian environment. As Victoria’s independent environmental authority, EPA Victoria has established environmental benchmarks, reported on progress and alerted the community when environmental quality is threatened.

In doing so, EPA Victoria has established an international reputation as a leader in environmental protection and has gathered many sources of intelligence to assist in identifying emerging environmental trends and issues and developing effective strategies to deal with these. EPA Victoria also works successfully alongside industry and the community to achieve its aims, involving and empowering individuals, communities and businesses and encouraging them to take shared responsibility and action.

UNEP FI signatories in Australia

Signatories to the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) in Australia:

• ANZ Banking Group Limited
• Insurance Australia Group
• Medibank Private
• mecu Limited 
• National Australia Bank
• QBE Insurance Group Ltd.
• Savings & Loans Credit Union
• VicSuper Pty Ltd.
• Westpac Banking Corporation