Introduction to Sustainable Finance

The Strategic Alliance on Green Bond Market Development in G20 Emerging Economies (STA), a partnership between Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) are pleased to present this new e-learning course on Sustainable Finance.

This interactive and practice-oriented course covers the basics of Sustainable Finance while providing several opportunities to dive deeper. It shares valuable insights into the Strategic Alliance of GIZ and SEB and our technical partner CICERO, gained during activities in emerging economies and interactions with market participants worldwide. You will also learn about examples of UN-supported initiatives to promote sustainable finance in countries like Mongolia and Indonesia. The course is designed for interested participants from governments, the financial sector, businesses, and civil society.

At the end of the course you will be able to:

This course is presented in three modules:

To complete the course and get your certificate, you will need to:

1. Take and pass three quizzes with a minimum of 70%.

2. Download your certificate directly from the ‘Certification’ page.

This course has been developed by the GIZ-SEB Strategic Alliance (STA) on Green Bond Market Development in G20 Emerging Economies and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a One UN initiative bringing together UN Environment, ILO, UNDP, UNIDO, and UNITAR.

We would like to acknowledge STA and PAGE funding partners who have made the development of this course possible:

A special thanks to the following institutions for their review, time and commitment:

The Strategic Alliance on Green Bond Market Development in G20 Emerging Economies is a develoPPP.de partnership between SEB AB and GIZ where the latter has worked for three years for the public benefit to support the development of robust and sustainable green bond markets in emerging economies.

GIZ approach is to raise awareness and build competence among the different market actors through training, bilateral advisory support, as well as through knowledge products such as research, publications, webinars and this e-learning.

The Nordic Financial Services Group SEB AB collaborated with The World Bank and a handful of Institutional Investors throughout 2007/2008, in developing the World Banks first Green Bond, which is broadly seen as a cornerstone for engaging Institutional Investors mainstream portfolios in Climate Investments. As a top leading structural advisor and one of the leading underwriters, SEB led a number of path-breaking Green Bond issuances, including the first municipal Green Bond, the first non-supranational Green Bond and the first corporate Green Bond. Moreover, SEB is one of the founding banks of the Green Bond Principles. It’s a member of The Green and Social Bonds Executive Committee and previously led the Working Group on External Reviews. Both SEB and SEBs clients have received a large number o awards for their issuances from institutions such as Global Capital, CBI, Environmental Finance and IFR.

GIZ is a German public-benefit federal enterprise that works jointly with governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society actors and research institutions worldwide to foster international cooperation for sustainable development. Through the develoPPP.de programme, we work on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with the private sector supporting innovative projects in developing and emerging economies for sustainable development.

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at Rio+20 to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories.

PAGE seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supports nations and regions in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability to foster economic growth, create income and jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, and strengthen the ecological foundations of their economies.

PAGE brings together five UN agencies – UN Environment, International Labour Organization, UN Development Programme, UN Industrial Development Organization, and UN Institute for Training and Research – whose mandates, expertise and networks combined can offer integrated and holistic support to countries on an inclusive green economy, ensuring coherence and avoiding duplication.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of SEB, GIZ and PAGE concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by SEB, GIZ and PAGE in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of SEB, GIZ and PAGE.

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