Name: Aligning finance for the net-zero economy: new ideas from leading thinkers
Start: 2021-04-13T13:00:00Z
End: 2021-04-13T13:01:09.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 4.8

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a partnership between United Nations Environment and the global financial sector created in the wake of the 1992 Earth Summit with a mission to promote sustainable finance. More than 240 financial institutions, including banks, insurers, and investors, work with UN Environment to understand today’s environmental, social and governance challenges, why they matter to finance, and how to actively participate in addressing them.

UNEP FI’s work also includes a strong focus on policy – by facilitating country-level dialogues between finance practitioners, supervisors, regulators and policy-makers, and, at the international level, by promoting financial sector involvement in processes such as the global climate negotiations.

UNEP FI has launched the UNEP FI-ESRS Interoperability Package which helps banks leverage the close alignment between the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), using the UNEP FI Holistic Impact Methodology. During this webinar, we will provide an overview and walk-through of the resource package which includes which includes a user guide, topic and data point mappings, as well as a conversion tool which will lift relevant datapoints from the UNEP FI Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks (Version 3) for CSRD reporting.

EU law, through the CSRD, requires companies to disclose information on what they see as the risks and opportunities arising from social and environmental issues, and on the impact of their activities on people and the environment, supported by the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Over 175 European signatories to the PRB are subject to the CSRD; many others, in particular signatories with activities in the EU, will also be subject to it in the future. Requirements of the PRB, supported by the UNEP FI Holistic Impact Methodology, are highly aligned with the requirements of the CSRD, especially the impact materiality assessment and disclosures, which feature centrally within the Directive and supporting Standards.

Leveraging the Principles for Responsible Banking for CSRD implementation

Energy efficiency is key to sustainable development, offering significant potential in fighting climate change, alleviating energy poverty and mitigating air pollution. Despite its importance, investments in various sectors, such as real estate, transportation and among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) remain hindered by various barriers, including those related to risk.  Our webinar delves into how banks and insurers can play a critical role in bridging the investment gap and promoting energy efficiency, not only through conventional means but also through innovative instruments and approaches.

Speakers:
Preksha Tripathi, Relationship Manager-Government Business: India and Indian subcontinent, Munich Re
Daniel de Búrca, Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, International Credit Insurance & Surety Association (ICISA)

Scaling energy efficiency:how insurers and banks can support sustainable finance

The need for scaled-up private investment in adaptation & resilience has never been greater. Reported financing flows are way below estimated needs, with an estimated gap of more than USD 387 billion per year to implement domestic adaptation & resilience priorities. At the same time, private investors are increasingly aware of the emerging opportunities in this space. Recent analysis has estimated that around 11% of publicly listed companies may deliver products and services that may contribute towards adaptation & resilience, and that investments in companies providing adaptation & resilience solutions can yield benefit-to-cost ratios of up to 15:1.

Despite these opportunities, private investment is still hindered by the lack of clear, practical and investor-relevant metrics that can be used to identify, appraise and prioritise investments that make meaningful contributions towards adaptation & resilience. This webinar will present a new report by the Adaptation and Resilience Investor Collaborative (ARIC) that demystifies the assessment of positive impacts from investing in climate adaptation & resilience, and provides a practical methodology and set of example metrics for investors to use.

Adaptation and Resilience Impact: A measurement framework for investors

Este seminario web, realizado en español, explorará los desafíos específicos para brindar financiamiento de protección a micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas en naciones vulnerables al clima en la región de América Latina y el Caribe. Los panelistas discutirán las diferentes soluciones para superar la brecha de seguros, incluidas las iniciativas lideradas por bancos y microfinanzas, los argumentos comerciales para la inversión y las implicaciones de la inactividad.

Explorando los Retos al Financiamiento Climático en Latinoamerica y el Caribe

Join us to learn more about the recent updates to the Guidelines for Climate Target Setting for Banks.

Along with the NZBA Commitment Statement, the guidelines detail the commitment that each bank makes by being an NZBA member. NZBA member banks led a review of the guidelines from early 2023 to early 2024. Based on these consultations, NZBA sent a series of proposed updates to the membership in February 2024 that members voted to adopt.

The updated version maintains the overarching ambition and all key principles of the original guidelines. Key updates include:

    - Including capital market activities in the scope of targets for the first time. For some banks, capital markets arranging and underwriting services provided in the issuance of new debt and equity instruments are their largest source of attributable greenhouse gas emissions.
    - Updating and clarifying technical language to reflect the evolution of practices, methodologies, and data availability in the last three years, for instance, by updating guidelines on stakeholder engagement and transition planning.
Speakers will explain the major updates. Attendees will also have 15 minutes to share feedback and ask questions about the updated guidelines.

Speakers
    - Tracey McDermott, Chair of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and member of Standard Chartered’s management team
    - Sarah Kemmitt, Secretariat Lead, Net-Zero Banking Alliance
    - Simon Messenger, Implementation Lead, Net-Zero Banking Alliance

Understanding Updates to the Guidelines for Climate Target Setting for Banks

The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance will launch the fourth edition of its Target-Setting Protocol on 18 April 2024.  

The Alliance’s protocol governs how its 89 institutional investor members set their climate targets. This fourth (and now standing) edition of the protocol is the most comprehensive guidance yet for any voluntary initiative. The updates include: 

- Requirements for setting 2030 targets in line with the Paris Agreement and the Article 4.9 schedule 
- Expansion of portfolio coverage, to include all private asset classes
- Additional steps in assessing sovereign debt, advising use of the ASCOR database   

In this webinar, the head authors of the protocol will discuss its most important aspects. Specifically, they will address requirements for real estate target setting, the protocol’s approach on financing the net-zero transition, the role of engagement, and the vision for what an enabling policy environment looks like.  

The audience will also have ample time to ask questions.  

Speakers: 

- Jesica Andrews, Head of Climate Accountability, UNEP FI 
- Jean-Francois Coppenolle, Director of Responsible Investment, Abeille Assurances 
- David Land, Head of Investment Strategy, Rothesay 
- Thomas Van Rompaey, Sustainability Officer, AXA IM 
- Udo Riese, ESG Lead, Allianz AIM
- Carolin Gresch, Climate Change Team Consultant, UNEP FI

Launch: NZAOA Target-Setting Protocol (fourth edition)

On the 25th of March, 09:00 CET, UNEP PSI's V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility will hold a panel discussion regarding climate-smart insurance. Brandon Mathews, Global Coordinator for the V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility, will host a webinar with the initiative's Asia Pacific regional coordinator, speaking with industry leaders in the region to uncover the significant challenges inhibiting access to insurance for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises in climate-vulnerable nations.

V20 SIF: Solving the Insurance Last Mile for Climate Cover in Vulnerable Nations

There has been a pivotal shift in the financial industry, which has broken down silos between finance and science. Over 650 financial institutions have committed to shift their loan books and investment portfolios to achieve net zero emissions. Tens of thousands more are assessing the climate impact on and of their investments. To do so, financial institutions are navigating a complex  environment of different climate scenarios and supporting tools.
 
To support financial institutions—IIASA, PIK and UNEP FI—have joined forces to map some of the most widely used net-zero scenarios. The mapping includes the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) NZE2050, the One Earth Climate Model (OECM) and the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)'s Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs). 

In this webinar, leading climate modelers and tool developers will discuss how their work can be insightful to banks, investors, and insurers. The audience will have the opportunity to ask the scenario developers questions on model assumptions and use cases.

Speakers:
- Bas van Ruijven (IIASA),
- Jerome HILAIRE (IEA),
- Jesica Andrews (UNEP FI),
- Oliver Richters (PIK),
- Shafaq Ashraf (Transition Pathways Initiative/LSE), and
- Sven Teske (UTS).

Navigating sector scenarios for net-zero target setting

This webinar will explore regulatory developments necessary to support banks in integrating and mitigating plastic-related risks and impacts in their business activities. Following the adoption in 2022 of a historic resolution to forge an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, negotiations are currently ongoing and expected to lead to the signing of the treaty in 2024. Following an analysis of the current landscape, the webinar will showcase a panel discussion featuring experts from regulatory authorities and the banking industry.

Co-organized with Ecofact, this event is the fourth edition of a series of webinars addressing key thematic issues in emerging sustainable finance regulation.

Emerging regulatory approaches to managing plastic pollution

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) published at COP28 a report guiding banks and insurance companies in supporting a just transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. Just Transition Finance: Pathways for Banking and Insurance details key elements helping banks and insurers to become enablers of a just and inclusive transition illustrated by examples of emerging practices.

During this webinar, speakers will present key recommendations from the report, highlight examples of what pioneering banks and insurance companies are already doing, and discuss the challenges and the way forward towards a just transition. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share feedback and ask questions about the report.

Download the report ahead of the webinar on UNEP FI's website: www.unepfi.org/just-transition-finance-pathways-for-banking-and-insurance

Speakers:
- Ekaterina Chubarova, Sustainable Finance and Just Transition Specialist, ILO
- Greg Elliott, Senior Advisor, Citizenship, Co-operators
- Frederike Rijkse, Sr Sustainability Advisor, NN Group
- Lea Zeemans, Responsible Investment Policy Advisor, NN Group
- Simonetta Spavieri, Senior Engagement Analyst, Royal London Asset Management
- Nikki Griffiths, Sustainable Finance and ESG Advisory, Rand Merchant Bank
- Moderator: Joana Pedro, Social and Human Rights Lead, UNEP FI

Just Transition Finance: Pathways for Banking and Insurance

The surge in the production and consumption of plastic has led to a significant increase in plastic waste and pollution. This contributes to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and pose a growing threat to human rights and public health, demanding an urgent and coordinated response from the international community. In 2022, a historic resolution was adopted by UN Member States to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. The negotiators are now preparing for the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) that will take place in April 2024.

During this webinar and ahead of INC-4, UNEP FI, PRI, Finance for Biodiversity Foundation, the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty (Ellen MacArthur Foundation/WWF), the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development and the Carbon Disclosure Project will open the Finance Statement on Plastic Pollution for signatures. All financial institutions including investors, asset managers, asset owners, banks, and insurance companies, as well as financial industry associations and other finance-related initiatives are invited to sign the statement to call on governments for an ambitious plastics treaty that creates the mandatory framework and the enabling environment for the private finance sector to fully play its role in ending plastic pollution.

Speakers will highlight the importance of a sustainable, safe, and just circular plastics economy and the crucial role of finance in enabling this transition. Finally, the webinar will outline various ways through which financial institutions can take part in the global fight to beat plastic pollution and align their activities with the objective of eliminating plastic pollution.

Onboarding finance to beat plastic pollution

Join UNEP FI for the launch of the newest guidance from the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) titled, "Driving Impact on Financial Health and Inclusion of Individuals and Businesses: From Setting Targets to Implementation". Hear from our expert panel on why financial institutions should prioritise acting to generate financial well-being, understand how they can drive impact on financial health and inclusion, and how to use the new PRB guidance to support them on their journey. Speakers include:

• Elaine Kempson, Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol, UK
• Eloise Duncan, CEO and Founder, Financial Resilience Institute, Canada
• Brenton Peck, Director of Financial Services Solutions, Financial Health Network, USA
• Dawn Bailey, Head of Financial Well-being, Bank of Ireland, Ireland
• Javier Angulo Cardinale, Sustainability and Financial Education Manager, Grupo CS, Costa Rica
• Jillian Clarkin, Head of Customer Journeys & SME Sectors, Bank of Ireland, Ireland
• Lorraine den Bieman-Peters, Head of Digital Sales & Personalization for Business Banking, ING, The Netherlands 
• Stefan van Woelderen, Financial Health Lead and Sustainability Manager, ING, The Netherlands

Driving Impact on Financial Health and Inclusion of Individuals and Businesses

A partner coalition made of the FAIRR Initiative, WWF US, UNEP FI, Planet Tracker and the World Benchmarking Alliance started a Collaborative Investor Engagement to encourage major seafood companies to develop and implement full-chain, digital and interoperable traceability systems. Such traceability systems are used as a means of identifying and addressing key environmental and social risks - such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfishing, habitat conversion and human rights issues - and unlocking sustainable opportunities. 

Agenda:

• Introductory remarks and overview of the Seafood Traceability Engagement by Jo Raven, Director of Thematic Research & Corporate Innovation at the FAIRR Initiative
• Expert panel moderated by Helen Packer, lead of the Seafood Stewardship Index at the World Benchmarking Alliance. Speakers include:
o Mark Richardson, Director of Market Data and Systems Transparency for the WWF-US Ocean Markets & Finance team
o François Mosnier, Head of the Oceans Programme at Planet Tracker
o Greg Brown, Executive Director at the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST)
o Cynthia Asaf, Chief Operating Officer at Pacifical
• Audience Q&A
• Closing remarks

Traceability in seafood supply chains and its implications for investors

UNEP FI is thrilled to introduce its new manual for financial institutions on how to set targets in blue economy sectors. Developed in collaboration with Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative members, as well as supporting institutions, and in alignment with global frameworks for impact management and target-setting, this manual offers a comprehensive framework and practical insights for financial institutions to implement the UNEP FI Turning the Tide and Diving Deep sector guidance within their activities. It enables institutions to set targets that align with this guidance and support the transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy, in line with the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement. 

Join this discussion to learn how banks, insurers and investors can drive the transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy!

Speakers include:

Lucy Holmes, Senior Director of Blue Finance, WWF US
Klaas de Vos, Founder, Ocean Fox Advisory
Louise Hall, Loss Prevention & Corporate Responsibility Director, Shipowners Club

Navigating a sustainable blue economy: Target-setting for financial institutions

With nature and biodiversity declining at an unprecedented rate, and developments such as the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the launch of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework, nature topics have been attracting increasing level of attention by the financial sector. 
Thanks to this, innovations with the ultimate goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss have been taking place in nature finance. Since 2022, the annual New Green Shoots webinar has been kicking off the new year with a review of the latest innovative nature finance products that have come onto the market. This year, without exception, the webinar will introduce you to the emerging trends in nature finance from the past year, and highlight a few innovative products and mechanisms with high potential to scale the market.

New Green Shoots 2024: Latest trends and innovations in nature finance

Aimed at banks, institutional investors and insurers at the beginning of their journey in addressing nature loss, this webinar will introduce how nature is connected to climate change and finance, as well as key concepts and initiatives.

Integrating climate and nature action: Unlocking the biodiversity-climate nexus

UNEP FI is delighted to unveil its latest milestone report, the Principles for Responsible Banking Guidance on Climate Adaptation and Target Setting. This collaborative effort involving 27 leading banks, along with experts from academia and international organisations, provides an overarching framework and practical solutions for banks to set targets on adaptation to align with their climate and sustainability strategies. In a world facing unprecedented environmental challenges, this guidance empowers banks to redirect capital flows towards resilience and engage with clients in vulnerable regions and sectors. Join us in this panel discussion to learn more about how private finance is thinking about adaptation and resilience.

Empowering Climate Resilience Through Banking: UNEP FI PRB Guidance Launch

EIT Climate-KIC has partnered with UNEP FI to produce this ‘thought leadership’ series that aims to inspire financial actors worldwide to move from risk to alignment, challenge current assumptions around climate alignment and develop ideas and concepts on how alignment can best be achieved. We hope to encourage stakeholders that a proactive climate response is not only about disclosing risks, but also about investing in green opportunities that can enable the low emissions societies of the future. This series convenes innovators and industry experts to provoke discussion, challenge the status quo and guide the transformation of business and finance towards a sustainable future.
UNEP FI and EIT Climate-KIC present the 5th and 6th papers of this Thought Leadership Series:

“#5. Making Green Bonds Serve the Climate Goals"
The fifth paper in this series will be presented by Massamba Thioye from UNFCCC, who proposes a reform of the current green bond framework to incentivize mainstream financiers to buy green bonds.

"#6. Financial Stability in a Planetary Emergency: the role of regulators in a burning world"
The sixth paper is from James Vaccaro, Director of Re:Pattern and David Barmes, Economist at Positive Money, who explore the leadership roles of regulators and the implications for financial institutions to accelerate the transition towards a resource-efficient and inclusive economy.

Aligning finance for the net-zero economy: new ideas from leading thinkers

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