One year since the launch of the first Green Finance Education Charter
By Anne Adrain, Head of Sustainability and Reporting
15 June 2021
Anne Adrain summarises how the Green Finance Education Charter can bring the principles of green finance and sustainability into the mainstream.
June 2020 saw the launch of the Green Finance Education Charter, (the Charter) the first of its kind, as part of the UK’s Green Finance Strategy. Its signatories represent twelve of the leading UK professional bodies, covering a range of professions from banking, actuaries and insurers.
Four of the professional accountancy bodies, ICAS, ICAEW, CIMA and ACCA, are signatories to the Charter.
The Charter asked financial services professional bodies to commit, by the end of 2020, to:
- engage Members on issues related to climate change and environmental issues, with the aim of raising their profile within each profession;
- curate, develop and promote relevant resources to Members on green and sustainable finance;
- encourage the adoption of relevant global and national standards, frameworks and guidance, including the Principles for Responsible Investment, Banking and Insurance and the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
On an ongoing basis, the signatories are expected to commit to:
- engage with policymakers, regulators, researchers and practitioners to identify and promote impactful and effective best practices in green and sustainable finance, and support national strategies;
- collaborate with signatories to the Charter, and with other domestic and international counterparts to enhance and promote the integration of green and sustainable finance into academic and professional programmes of education and training;
- work with the Green Finance Institute to engage employers and encourage commitment to and take up of green and sustainable finance programmes of initial and continuing professional development;
report annually on progress in mainstreaming the principles and practice of green and sustainable finance.
Over the past year, ICAS has produced a series of articles and hosted several webinars on the theme of climate change and green finance to raise awareness of its relevance to accountants and finance professionals.
We continue to engage with standard setters, regulators, and policymakers to identify best practices in green and sustainable finance at both a UK and global level.
We are currently reviewing our training programmes to identify where more sustainability-related content can be incorporated within our teaching syllabus and our CPD resources.
To mark the anniversary, the signatories to the Charter have organised a series of events to coincide with London Climate Action Week, which takes place between 26 June and 4 July 2021. To find out more about these events, and to register as an attendee, visit this link: https://www.greenfinanceinstitute.co.uk/events/green-finance-education-charter/