Introduction to Sustainable Finance

Overview

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Green economy

Self-paced courses

2 hours

With certification

English

A new updated version of this course has been launched. The new course can be accessed here.  Current learners have the liberty to choose to whether continue with this course or enrol in the new version. Happy learning!

Welcome to 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 of 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, financial sector, businesses, and civil society.

Learning Objectives 

  • Describe, understand and discuss current developments and trends in the area of sustainable finance;
  • Distinguish between different types of sustainable finance products and relevant eligibility criteria;
  • Discuss opportunities, challenges, and enabling conditions for countries to benefit from growing sustainable investment opportunities; 
  • Identify opportunities for the public and private sectors to issue green bonds and green loans;
  • Apply sustainable finance mechanisms to a real-life investment case study.

The course at a glance

This course is presented in three modules:


  • 1. Fundamentals of Sustainable Finance

    Five lessons introducing sustainable finance and its potential to achieve the Sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement.

  • 2. Sustainable Finance Market

    Four interactive lessons about the functions, stakeholders and regulations that govern the sustainable finance market.

  • 3. Sustainable Finance Products

    Three interactive lessons explaining Green Bonds and Green Loans in detail.

Get your UN certificate!

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

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

2. Download your certificate directly from the 'Achievements' 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. 

partners    

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: 


More about the Strategic Alliance on Green Bond Market Development (STA

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 trainings, 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 of 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.

More about the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE

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, expertises and networks combined can offer integrated and holistic support to countries on inclusive green economy, ensuring coherence and avoiding duplication.

Legal Disclaimer

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. Third party content—SEB, GIZ and PAGE do not necessarily own each component of the content contained within this document. SEB, GIZ and PAGE therefore do not warrant that the use of any third party-owned individual component or part contained in the work will not infringe on the rights of those third parties. The risk of claims resulting from such infringement rests solely with you. If you wish to re-use a component of the work, it is your responsibility to determine whether permission is needed for that re-use and to obtain permission from the copyright owner. Examples of components can include, but are not limited to, tables, figures, or images.