Latin America & Caribbean

The Latin American Working Group of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative consists of more than 40 financial institutions who are signatories of the UNEP Statement of Commitment on Sustainable Development and/or the Principles of Sustainable Insurance (PSI) or the Principles of Responsible Banking (PRBs).

UNEP FI strategy and agenda in Latin America are led (2018-2020) by the Working Group Co-Chairs:

LAC representation on the Global Steering Committee:

  • Mauricio Velasquez, CAF- Latin American Development Bank (Ecuador)
    -elected to represent the Latin American Group of UNEP FI (Until December 2020)
  • Patricia Coimbra, Human Resources and Sustainability Director, SULAMERICA (Brazil)
    -elected to hold the regional representation of insurance members at the Global Steering Committee (until June 2019)

UNEP FI activities in Latin America & Caribbean Region focus on: 

Activities in the region are connected to the global programme and include network-building in order to foster sharing of information, best practice and awareness-raising between financial institutions; engagement with relevant regional stakeholders in sustainable finance; and capacity-building through workshops and online training courses.

UNEP FI’s Latin American and Caribbean regional Membership Agenda is based on national inputs and member feedback to establishing a long-term sustainable finance agenda. This agenda uses the current regional context and the progress achieved so far as a foundation for changing finance to finance change. Our work will build upon ongoing activities and national agendas which will contribute to a country-specific approach to bring our members’ objectives to the forefront.

UNEP FI is constantly looking to expand its network through connecting to financial institutions that are committed to the values of sustainable finance in the banking, insurance and investment industries. The Latin American and Caribbean Regional agenda places a strong focus on membership engagement both across industries and in various thematic workstreams. In this regard, we are seeking to increase regional interconnectivity through events in which members can communicate in person, strengthen member and network interaction, while also increasing our value proposition through the organizational incorporation of ESG issues and understanding of how future environmental and risk factors can affect portfolios.

Key initiatives and developments in Latin America & Caribbean:

2019:

Training and professional development: 

Training activities were initiated in 2005, in Latin America when the first “Country Workshop on Environmental & Social Risk” for risk managers and analysts in corporate, investment and retail banking was held. With time UNEP FI’s training programme has grown to offer a range of tailor-made training modules on sustainable finance topics in Spanish, English and French. UNEP FI has a range of training offerings, both online and in-person workshops.

For further information on each of these products, please consult the Sustainable Finance Training section.

For upcoming events in the region, please consult the UNEP FI Events section.

Members

Financial institutions based in Latin America and Caribbean which are UNEP FI Signatories

Contact

Maria Sosa Taborda , Regional Coordinator / Coordinador Regional

Latin America & Caribbean News

22 October 2019

UNEP FI Regional Roundtable Latin America and the Caribbean 2019: Highlights

UNEP FI’s fourth Regional Roundtable on Sustainable Finance in 2019 for the Latin America and Caribbean region took place last week, with more than 330 delegates from 16 countries in attendance. The two-day event, held in São Paulo on 14-15 October, was co-organised with the Brazilian Federation of Banks (FEBRABAN), and featured a mix of…

11 October 2018

UNEP FI Peer-to-Peer Exchange opens up new ways for members to interact

The first in-person exchange, including banks from all over Latin America held in Sao Paulo on 1 and 2 October  proved to be a great success. The two days gave visiting and host banks an opportunity to share and gain knowledge on different topics related to sustainable banking. The participants included hosts FEBRABAN, Santander Brasil,…

3 September 2018

UNEP FI’s Expanding Network in Latin America & the Caribbean

Our network keeps expanding, as three banks and one supporting institution join UNEP FI (English) During the month of August, we welcomed three banks and one supporting institution as new members of UNEP FI in Latin America and the Caribbean. BNF (Banco Nacional de Fomento), BANESCO, Multibank and the institution CECODES (Consejo Empresarial Colombia para…

10 July 2018

Brazilian monetary authority approves new ESG requirements in the investment rules of occupational pension funds

On May 25th 2018, the Brazilian National Monetary Council (CMN) published Resolution CMN 4.661/2018, which revised the norm that governs occupational pension funds’ investments. The new norm requires pension funds’ asset managers to consider environment, social and governance (ESG) risks as part of their investment decision making process. This regulatory improvement was one of the…

17 April 2018 | Santiago de Chile

Chilean Chapter of the “Council of Women in Energy & Environmental Leadership (CWEEL)”

The first meeting of the Chilean Chapter of the Council on Women in Energy & Environmental Leadership (CWEEL for its acronym in English) took place in Santiago de Chile recently where, through working groups, a "roadmap" was generated for the coming years in terms of gender equity in energy and environment. Carolina López from UNEP FI participated.

10-12 April 2018 | Santiago de Chile

CIREC Week

Chile's Leading Congress in New Energies (CIREC) will be hosting its 6th edition of CIREC Week in Santiago from 10 to 12 April 2018. Over the past seven years the event has grown and evolved along with Chile’s renewable energy sector.

14 February 2018

Two Salvadorian Banks Join UNEP FI

Jan 2018 | San Salvador, El Salvador We are pleased to announce the joining of two new banks to the Initiative. Banco Hipotecario and Banco de Fomento Agropecuaria held events during January of this year to mark their commitment to sustainable finance.

Show more

Latin America & Caribbean Events

26 November 2020 | Webinar

Dialogues about the implementation of Principles for Responsible Banking for LAC

Tenemos el agrado de invitarle al webinar “Diálogos sobre la Implementación de los Principios de Banca Responsable en LAC: Clientes y usuarios“, en el cual se presentarán y discutirán los siguientes temas: Principios de Banca Responsable y el Principio #3 – Clientes y usuarios Involucrando los clientes hacia la sostenibilidad Perspectiva de expertos y practicantes:…

17 August 2020

Webinar: Biodiversity and the Financial Sector (in Portuguese)

The Financial Innovation Laboratory (LAB), the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) will discuss how the financial sector can address biodiversity and natural capital issues.

12 December 2019 | Santiago, Chile

Public-Private Green Finance Working Group of Chile

Two relevant events on Sustainable Finance took place within the framework of the Public-Private Green Finance Working Group of Chile, led by the Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the IADB, UNEP FI and the British Embassy Santiago.

Show more

Latin America & Caribbean Publications

Cómo los bancos incorporan el cambio climático en su gestión de riesgos

This report aims to present the survey results of “How the Banks of Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish, ALC) incorporate climate change in their risk management,” which aligns with the first global initiative exploring what regional banks are doing to integrate dimensions of climate change in their strategy and management.