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The debate about ESG or environmental, social and governance indicators or standards is heating up and often dominates the news headlines. What started as a nice topic in ethical and impact finance, is now entering and becoming mainstream – and affecting projects, business, and finance as we know it.
With the EU Sustainable Agenda regulatory framework starting to generate disclosures, the appetite for sustainability performance data is greater than ever. The EU is finalising its Taxonomy framework, while improving its usability. At the same time, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is advocating for the global adoption of their consolidated reporting standards.
The course is designed to provide a comprehensive and accessible introduction to sustainable finance, its main concepts, and key regulatory elements, as well as the latest and future developments in sustainable finance systems that will affect projects and businesses. The course participants will be able to hear from the subject matter experts, including the current members of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance. The course will combine theory and practice, and will be a highly interactive learning experience.
Level: Foundational course (with some intermediate-level elements)
Prerequisites: None
Language: English
Duration: 2 days (22-23 April)
Min/Max: 10-50
Price: US$480
Instructors:
Jiří Dusík, Social and Environmental Standards Technical Specialist for Europe and Central Asia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), (Czechia)
Dr. Alan Bond, Associate Professor in Environmental Management in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UK) and Extraordinary Professor in the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North West University (South Africa)
Linda Zeilina-Cross, CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC), (Czechia)
Julian Toth, COO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC) & Director, Czech Sustainable Investment Forum (Czechia)
Jiří Dusík
Jiří Dusík currently serves as the UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards Technical Specialist for Europe and Central Asia. He over 25 years of consulting experience on EIA, SEA, and climate proofing assignments with the European Commission, World Bank, European Investment Bank, UN Economic Commission for Europe, Sida, Danida, GIZ and AFD and private sector clients. He co-authored several books on strategic environmental assessment, as well as the UNECE manual for the Practical Application of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Protocol to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
Jiri Dusik was a member of the OECD/DAC Task Team on Strategic Environmental Assessment in development cooperation and took part in the UNEP global initiative on integrated assessments and planning for sustainable development. He served on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) and received the IAIA Individual Award for his outstanding contribution to development of SEA capacities in Eastern Europe and South Asia.
Alan Bond
Dr. Alan Bond is Associate Professor in Environmental Management in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UK) and Extraordinary Professor in the School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North West University (South Africa), with over 30 years’ experience in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). He runs a full-time MSc programme on Environmental Assessment and Management at the University of East Anglia and is a Professional Development Programme trainer for the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).
Alan has conducted research in the field of impact assessment for, amongst others, the World Health Organization, European Commission, Health Development Agency, European Environment Agency, Welsh Assembly Government, Environment Agency (England & Wales), and has undertaken consultancy work with Entec, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Ben Cave Associates, Enviros, Land Use Consultants, UNECE, and the Crown Estate, and has also worked as an EIA Quality Mark Panel member for the UK Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA, the professional institute for EIA practitioners). Alan has published over 100 peer-reviewed works, including two key text books on sustainability assessment, and has written guidance on Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping for the (English) Environment Agency, and also co-authored best-practice guides for IAIA on Health Impact Assessment, EIA Follow-up, and Resilience Assessment. He is on the Editorial Board of three EIA journals, and is co-Chair of the International Association for Impact Assessment’s Emerging Technology section and Chair of their Journal Management Committee.
Linda Zeilina-Cross
Linda is the Founder & CEO of ISFC, where she oversees its work on sustainability strategies, sustainable investing, and international ESG standardisation efforts. In 2023, Linda was selected as the 2023 Obama Europe Leader, and she joined the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance to advise on the usability of the EU Taxonomy and the wider sustainable finance framework. Linda is a Fellow at the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in London, a non-executive director at a London-based logistics startup, Pedal Me, and a Member of the Agora Energiewende Council for Europe. She is also an advisory board member at the Romanian Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (RoSIF) and the Czech Sustainable Investing Forum (CzechSIF).
In 2021, Linda spent a few months as a Policy Leader Fellow at the EUI’s School of Transnational Governance in Florence, where she focused on the EU sustainable finance rules and the role of impact investing. Linda is now working with the Florence School of Banking and Finance on climate-related prudential supervision and green bonds. Previously, Linda was a Director at Re-Define, a London-based boutique consultancy working on advising major financial sector actors across Europe and in the US on climate finance and sustainability integration. In the past, Linda’s work has focused on ways to drive transformational change, and how to develop and implement internal corporate sustainability initiatives. Over the years, she has worked as an advisor to prominent politicians, large asset managers, pension funds and European investment funds. Linda has been honoured as a New Security Leader by the Warsaw Security Forum and a Future European Leader by the Prague European Summit.
Julian Toth
Julian is Chief Operating Officer at the ISFC and Executive Director of the Czech Sustainable Investing Forum (Czech SIF), leading multi-stakeholder teams and international large-scale projects, including a technical assistance project on the creation of Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) Guidelines for European Commission DG REFORM. Julian also carries out primary research on topics of impact and ESG investing, as well as looking at the role of investors and the private sector in the just transition process.
Julian spent the last five years working at BlackRock in the United Kingdom, where he started in the global recruitment operations team implementing the hiring strategy for the investment platforms in London and New York, later moving into the Client Service Management team focusing on alternative investments. Over the years, Julian has worked with a number of large institutional and retail clients, government authorities and intergovernmental organisations and was involved in the management of several global projects, such as implementation of new systems, enhancement of capital fundraising and client reporting processes, or other change management initiatives.
Apart from his day-to-day role, Julian has a strong interest in sustainability concepts, ESG and impact investing. He was the co-lead of the BlackRock Edinburgh Green team, working to improve sustainability practices in both the office and the local community by organising events and launching new initiatives. Julian holds a BSc in Business Management from Canterbury Christ Church University and has an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.