Paper on The Time Has Come - Sustainable Development Private Finance to Support the 2030 Agenda

The Time Has Come - Sustainable Development Private Finance to Support the 2030 Agenda

By Steve Waygood and Stephanie Maier, AVIVA Investors and Felix Dodds, Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. Published by New World Frontiers and available here. 

Business and finance in particular, has a critical role in ensuring that the Goals are met. The SDGs have great aspirations for the roughly $150 billion worth of official development assistance (ODA). However, there is insufficient focus on encouraging investors to redeploy the $300 trillion of capital in the global markets in a way that will help achieve these Goals.
Investors can be a catalyst for the innovation in sustainable technologies and entrepreneurialism required to meet the growing demand for goods and services from an ever—growing global population.

Webinar on Financing Sustainability: The Investment Case for the 2030 Agenda and COP21

When: Thursday 19 May 2016, 4:00PM – 5:30PM (BST)
Where: Online Event
Background:

As the pressure builds on governments to tackle climate change, the investor community have a vital role to play in reshaping finance and business to account for environmental and social impact and to ensure the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda seek to drive forwards far-reaching ambitions; from inclusive and quality education to ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. However, with Reuters estimating a cost of around $22 trillion, global investors to play their part. Over 1,300 investors managing almost a quarter of world assets (around $60 trillion) have committed to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), however, there is still a major gap in turning these aspirations into action. A key challenge remains identifying and innovating the way we engage in finance, the way we invest to facilitate sustainable development, and working collaboratively to identify follow up mechanisms necessary to realize the 2030 Agenda and COP21.
Some aspects of linking sustainability with investment are being addressed by civil society organisations who advocate for asset owners and capital market actors to shift their assets and to develop a pipeline of low-carbon energy and infrastructure investments that can create the necessary momentum. This is while also ensuring that existing investee companies reduce their carbon intensity and shift towards more sustainable growth and development pathways that does not create unmanageable and uninsurable risks. The UNEP Inquiry, which launched in October 2015 at the World Bank and IMF’s Autumn meetings, highlighted the importance of “mobilizing the world’s capital for transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy”. Key questions include the acceleration of such a transition, and how environmental and social standards, disclosures and safe-guards are related to overall coherence of standards concerning sustainable financing.
The webinar will take a multi-stakeholder approach, drawing on investment institutions, NGOs and UN bodies; looking in particular at sustainable growth and the shift towards a low-carbon economy. Speakers will discuss initiatives driving Agenda 2030 and COP21 Follow-Up, with a particular focus on carbon disclosure initiatives and financial disclosures with an overall view of both improving transparency of climate related impacts and costing their financial risk to asset owners. This will lead to discussion on the challenges and opportunities for investors in sustainable development, climate finance and in the follow-up of Agenda 2030 and COP21.
Objective:

Speakers will be assess current and upcoming challenges and opportunities in the follow-up of COP21 and the 2030 Agenda, specifically in relation to strengthening financial systems and incentivizing investment in the implementation of SDGs and COP21. The main objective of this webinar will be to discuss existing initiatives related to this follow-up, to ascertain current challenges and discuss next steps and collaborations necessary to drive progress forwards.

Moderator: One of the two current co-chairs of SFAN

Farooq Ullah, Executive Director- Stakeholder Forum; Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Investors
Speakers (All confirmed):  

James Hulse: Head of Investor Initiatives, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
Simon Zadek: Co-Director, UNEP Enquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System
Valeria Piani: Associate Director, Investor Engagements, Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI)
Edward Davey: Senior Programme Manager, Prince's Charities' International Sustainability Unit

Webinar details: it is important that attendees download the 'Go To Meeting' software. 

1) Go to: http://citrix-gotomeeting.en.softonic.com/  

2) Click 'Download'

3) Follow steps to sign up

4) Open the download 'GoToMeeting Launcher'

5) Sign in

6) Go to: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/637754437 to join the call

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States : +1 (646) 749-3129

United Kingdom : +44 (0) 20 3535 0621

Access Code: 637-754-437

If there any problems contact Leisha Beardmore T +44 ) 7521 04 668 or on email at lisha_beardmore (at) hotmail.co.uk