Chronos supports launch of UN-backed, open access sustainable finance course
Chronos supports launch of UN-Backed, open-access sustainable finance course
Dr Rory Sullivan
We have recently worked with UNITAR, UNEPFI, SEB, GIZ and IFC to comprehensively update the highly regarded ‘Introduction to Sustainable Finance’ course.
The course is designed for a wide audience, including policymakers interested in understanding how the financial sector might support sustainable development, companies interested in understanding how investors analyse and take account of sustainability issues, finance professionals interested in understanding how their activities might support the goals of sustainable development, and civil society organisations interested in working with the finance sector.
It is divided into four modules:
· Module 1: Sustainable Finance in Context describes the role that sustainable finance can pay in delivering global goals on climate change and development.
· Module 2: Fundamentals of Sustainable Finance explains the core concepts of sustainable finance and the relevance of sustainability to finance sector decision-makers. It also discusses ESG risk management and sustainability reporting and has an in-depth analysis of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
· Module 3: Sustainable Finance: Regulation and Self-regulation analyses the role that regulation and industry initiatives (such as the Principles for Responsible Investment, the Principles for Responsible Banking and the Principles for Sustainable Insurance) play in shaping sustainable finance.
· Module 4: Sustainable Finance Products describes some of the products (e.g. green bonds and loans, sustainability-linked bonds and loans) that may be available to provide the capital needed to support the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It also includes a detailed case-study of sustainable finance institutions and practice in Colombia.
Participants who successfully complete the short exams at the end of each module are awarded a UN Certificate of Completion.
We were delighted to be involved in this project. The production of high-quality open-source educational resource is hugely important. It helps to demystify responsible investment and sustainable finance, allowing stakeholders both to understand the finance system and to think strategically about how the finance sector may be harnessed to support global and local action on climate change and on the Sustainable Development Goals.
We will be encouraging all Chronos employees across our business to complete this course.
Notes:
1. This course was originally developed in 2018 by SEB and GIZ as part of their Strategic Alliance (STA) on Green Bond Market Development in G20 Emerging Economies, and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE).
2. The course update was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with technical and other support provided by UNEPFI, SEB, GIZ and IFC. The update was managed by UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research).
3. Dr Rory Sullivan (Chronos Sustainability) led the substantive work in updating the existing lessons and case-studies, developing new lessons and providing overall guidance on the project.