The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) provide a roadmap towards realising a better world by 2030. Private funding could play a crucial role in funding these goals. To kick-start private funding, however, it is important that a common methodology exists to measure the positive impact that investments have on the SDGs. To contribute to this, the SDG Impact Assessment Working Group today launches the first three of a series of papers that describe the methodologies, data sources and market practices that are currently available for each SDG.
The SDG Impact Measurement Overviews released today are an introduction to the series and papers specifically covering SDG 3 ‘Good health and well-being’ and SDG 6 ‘Clean water and sanitation’. The Working Group plans to release papers covering the remaining SDGs in due course. They are dynamic documents that will be updated when new methodologies, improved data or clearer examples are available. The series builds on the Working Group's previous publication, SDG impact indicators — A guide for investors and companies, which presents a core set of positive impact indicators for investments in products and services.
The SDG Impact Assessment Working Group was set up in 2017 by a number of financial institutions and companies in [year] to support investors in measuring and, ultimately, increasing the positive impact that their investments have on the SDGs. Its members are ABN AMRO, Achmea, ACTIAM, Aegon Asset Management, Anthos, a.s.r. Nederland, BlackRock, DSM, FMO, ING, Kempen, MN, NN Investment Partners, PGGM, Philips, Rabobank, Robeco, Stafford Capital Partners, Triodos Investment Management, UBS AM and Unilever.
The Working Group invites investors to provide feedback on the papers and will discuss the papers with them in the near future through webinars.
About the Sustainable Finance Platform
The Sustainable Finance Platform is a cooperative venture of the Dutch Association of Insurers, the Federation of the Dutch Pension Funds, the Dutch Fund and Asset Management Association, the Dutch Banking Association, the Dutch Ministry of Finance, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Invest-NL, the Sustainable Finance Lab, the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets and De Nederlandsche Bank. The aim of the Platform, set up by DNB in 2016, is to promote and raise awareness for sustainable funding in the financial sector. Twice a year, the Platform members meet to discuss the new and ongoing sustainability initiatives in the Dutch financial sector. The Platform's working groups focus on a variety of different themes.