Our annual in-person summit Ethical Finance Global 2023 will tackle these issues and more on Wednesday 20th September 2023 in Edinburgh, hosted by NatWest Group. Across four core thematics of climate, nature, the S in ESG and leadership the summit will explore topics including overcoming greenwashing, climate justice, embedding sustainability skills, integrating nature, sustainable food systems and the incorporation of human rights.

COP28 is the 28th session of the Conference of Parties. COP is held every year to discuss and find solutions for climate change. COP28 will be held in the UAE at Dubai Expo City from November 30 to December 12, 2023. The thirteen-day long programme will begin on Thursday and conclude on Tuesday.

At our launch event, we announced our four Workstreams (Delivering Net Zero, Financing Nature & BioDiversity, Unlocking Islamic Finance, and Financing the SDGs) and hosted discussions including a keynote address by Dame Susan Rice looking at how COP26 went for banking, and guidance to be offered to the banking sector. The event featured speakers including Dame Susan Rice (Financial Services Culture Board & GEFI), Arif Amiri (DIFC Authority), Dr. Abdelilah Belatik (CIBAFI) and Iqbal Khan (Fajr Capital).

The Nature for Life Hub was three-day virtual event positioned to build on what was missed at COP27 and what needs to happen at COP15, as world leaders negotiate the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

In this Climate Finance Training Series, offered jointly by DIFC Academy and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI) as part of the Path to COP28 campaign, we helped finance practitioners to understand the COP process, global trends in climate finance and best practice approaches to developing and implementing net zero strategies.

In this webinar, delivered in collaboration with abrdn, we focused on a brief review of COP27 outcomes and took a look at the actions needed in 2023 ahead of COP28, in particular we tackled the following questions: What are the gaps that need to be addressed to enable capital flows in line with net zero?  Is the annual multilateral COP approach working to address climate change with the urgency that is required? What other options do we have? Ultimately, what are the implications for net zero commitments in the finance industry if emissions continue to rise?

GEFI in partnership with DIFC and supported by Refinitiv hosted the Path to COP28 – Sustainable Finance Summit Series. The first in the series took place in Dubai at DIFC. The summit covered what COP28 means for finance, delivering net zero, unlocking Islamic finance and much more.

The Global Ethical Finance Initiative, Refinitiv and the UKIFC convened an “Unlocking Islamic Finance” power roundtable on Tuesday 28th February, hosted by Simmons & Simmons in the DIFC.

The theme of the roundtable was exploring the demand appetite and practical challenges for delivering green Islamic finance products.

As a stakeholder endorser of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), the Global Ethical Finance Initiative convened an “PR” power roundtable on Wednesday 1st March February, hosted by EY in the DIFC.

The PRB is a community of global banks working together to accelerate a positive global transition for people and the planet. With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. Through the Principles, banks take action to align their core strategy, decision-making, lending and investment with the SDGs, and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement. The PRB includes the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which is the climate-focused initiative of this global framework.

The theme of the round table was to introduce the PRB and showcase the journey and experience of signatory banks. With COP28 coming to Dubai there is an opportunity for more local banks to learn from peers and expedite climate action by engaging in global initiatives such as the PRB.

In this Climate Finance Training Series, offered jointly by DIFC Academy and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI) as part of the Path to COP28 campaign, we helped finance practitioners  understand the COP process, global trends in climate finance and best practice approaches to developing and implementing net zero strategies.

Female experts in the field discussed challenges as female leaders and provided guidance for women interested in pursuing a career in finance though interactive in-person sessions.

We were pleased to again partner with the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers for the virtual Ethical Finance ASEAN 2023 summit, following 2022’s inaugural Ethical Finance ASEAN summit. EF ASEAN 2023 tackled the theme of transition, exploring how financial institutions can support Southeast Asian economies in their transition towards Net Zero.

Working with the banking community the UN PRB seek to accelerate a positive global transition for people and the planet. With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. We are convening a high level roundtable discussion by invitation to explore the future of banking and the implications of this work for COP28.

The PRI work to achieve a sustainable global financial system by encouraging adoption of the Principles and collaboration on their implementation; by fostering good governance, integrity and accountability; and by addressing obstacles to a sustainable financial system that lie within market practices, structures and regulation. we are convening a high level roundtable to discuss this work and the implications for COP28.

As part of our ongoing partnership with DIFC, we will be hosting a series of summits on sustainable finance, driving capital towards the SDGs and a successful COP28

The Just Transition is a comprehensive approach that aims to address the social, economic, and environmental impacts of transitioning from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a sustainable and renewable energy future. It recognises that this transition can have significant implications for workers, communities, and vulnerable populations, and seeks to ensure that the shift is fair, inclusive, and equitable. GEFI are convening a high level roundtable by invitation only, exploring the latest thought leadership in this important sphere of work.

In this Climate Finance Training Series, offered jointly by DIFC Academy and the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI) as part of the Path to COP28 campaign, we will help finance practitioners to understand the COP process, global trends in climate finance and best practice approaches to developing and implementing net zero strategies.

Since its inception in the 1970s, the faith-based Islamic finance industry has grown to almost $3 trillion globally, and its focus on tangible assets offers strong potential to support climate action. Addressing the climate emergency will require all the funding possible from as many diverse sources as possible. Islamic climate finance instruments could help in Asia and in many other parts of the world. Global Ethical Finance Initiative, in partnership with the UKIFC, will be convening an Islamic Finance power round table to explore the opportunities COP28 presents to drive action in the sector. This will include insights from UKIFC / GEFI’s Tayyib (Islamic ESG framework) project, green sukuk opportunities, Islamic Financial Institution engagement in global initiatives and frameworks and approaches to climate finance.