Johannesburg, South Africa 27-29 November 2017

UNEP FI is establishing Regional Roundtables to provide an opportunity for members and actors in the sustainable finance community to come together locally to discuss the latest trends and innovations, and share good practice. 2017 marks UNEP FI’s 25th anniversary, and in this landmark year, our first ever Regional Roundtables will be the focus of our celebrations.

Please browse the tentative agenda, logistics information, opportunities to partner with UNEP FI at this event through sponsorship, as well as registration details. Please note that some of the sessions and activities at the Roundtable are not open to all participants.

UNEP FI members are welcome to join all events throughout the three days, although some training / workshops may have limited space.

Tentative Agenda

• Day 1: 27 Nov (UNEP FI Members/By Invitation Only)
• Day 2: 28 Nov
• Day 3: 29 Nov

Time	Venue: FNB Conference Centre
12:00-12:45	Working Lunch: Regional Co-ordination to Build a Sustainable Finance Hub in Africa & Middle East This meeting will try to address questions such as; how can UNEP FI’s members and the wider financial community in Africa and Middle East mobilise private sector financing for a climate-resilient, sustainable economy? How can financial institutions collaborate and strengthen the Africa and Middle East sustainable finance hub through UNEP FI’s network to scale up sustainable finance opportunities in the region? Facilitators: ♦ Wendy Dobson, Head: Group Policy, Advocacy and Sustainability, Standard Bank Group ♦ Liesel van Ast, UNEP FI Regional Co-ordination and Membership Manager ♦ Sonje Wakesho, UNEP FI Network Co-ordinator for Africa ♦ Geeda Haddad, UNEP FI Network Co-ordinator for MENA region
13:00-14:00	Technical Workshop: Banking Work Programme This workshop will discuss topics such as the development of a Dashboard to assess and measure sustainability in banks, the review of a UNEP FI Statement of Commitment and the 2018 Banking Work Plan. Speaker: ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative ♦ Karin Ireton, Director, Sustainability Matters Session lead & facilitator: ♦ Simone Dettling, Programme Lead, Banking, UNEP Finance Initiative
14:15-16:15	Workshop: Integrating Natural Capital Considerations into Financial Sector Decision Making This collaborative workshop will give an introduction to natural capital and why environmental dependencies and impacts are important to financial sector decision-making, risk management and product development. Examples and best practice will be presented, and an innovative project on Advancing Environmental Risk Management with a focus on South Africa will be discussed. The workshop is presented by UNEP Finance Initiative and the Natural Capital Finance Alliance with support from the Swiss Government (SECO) and the MAVA Foundation. Session lead & facilitator: ♦ Anders Nordheim, Programme Lead, Ecosystems & Sustainable Land Use, UNEP Finance Initiative

 

Time & Room	Venue: FNB Conference Centre
08:30-09:00	Registration and Networking
09:00-09:10 Auditorium	Welcome and Opening Speakers: ♦ Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Head, UN Environment Office in South Africa ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative
09:10-09:20 Auditorium	Opening Keynote Speakers: ♦ Jacques Celliers , CEO, First National Bank
09:20-09:50 Auditorium	Lighting Round: Start the Day with Inspiration! Transformative stories of members’ journey through sustainability. The session will include narratives around tools and innovation in inclusive finance. Speakers: ♦ Brett Wallington, Senior Manager Sustainability, Standard Bank - "SEE Social Economic & Environmental Framework" ♦ Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head of Sustainability, Access Bank - "Waste Management" ♦ Yegs Ramiah, Chief Executive Brand of Sanlam Limited - "Blue Ladder Schools Programme" Moderator: ♦ Sonje Wakesho, Africa Network Coordinator, UNEP Finance Initiative
09:50-10:10 Auditorium	Keynote: Building Sustainable Finance Market Leadership and Momentum As financial markets begin to align with the SDGs, leaders are employing new approaches to ESG risk management, increasing green transactions and working towards becoming fully integrated sustainable financial institutions. Speaker: ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative
10:10-11:20 Auditorium	Progress on Sustainable Finance (and the Long Road Ahead) The role of the financial sector is becoming central to green growth in the region, with the related risks and opportunities growing and increasingly interconnected. This session will provide a high-level overview of the status of sustainable finance in the region by looking at Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration and innovation across sustainable banking, insurance and investment. The session is conceived to provide a space to showcase finance sector leadership, and to share experiences of developing good practices, addressing challenges and lessons learned. Speakers: ♦ Dolika Banda, Non-Executive Director of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated; Chair of the Board Committee on Sustainable Banking Business Affairs and CEO of ARC Insurance Company. ♦ Jon Duncan, Head of Responsible Investment, Old Mutual Investment Group ♦ Nigel Beck, Executive & Global Head of Environmental & Social Management, Standard Bank ♦ Pierre Venter, General Manager, Banking Association South Africa ♦ Prejelin Naggan, Head: Primary Markets, Johannesburg Stock Exchange Moderator: ♦ Malango Mughogho, Sustainable Finance Specialist
11:20-11:40	Networking Coffee Break
11.40-12:50 Auditorium	High-Level Dialogue: Policy Enabling Environment for Market Innovations to Integrate ESG Issues into Banking, Insurance and Investment This session will discuss the policy and regulatory frameworks and public-private sector partnerships needed to integrate ESG into finance and catalyze sustainable financing. What do the multiple stakeholders need and from whom? Speakers: ♦ Dr. A'isha Usman Mahmood, Special Adviser to CBN Governor on Sustainable Banking, Central Bank of Nigeria ♦ Gladys Awuku, Assistant Director, Secretary’s Department, Bank of Ghana ♦ Jonathan Ferreira, Deputy Director, Financial Stability, National Treasury of South Africa ♦ Kennedy Mutisya, CFO, Kenya Bankers Association Moderator: ♦ Louise Gardiner, Africa Coordinator for the Sustainable Banking Network, International Finance Cooperation (IFC)
12:45-14:00	Lunch
14:00-15:10 Auditorium	Panel Discussion: Putting Paris into Practice – Banking on a 2 Degree Future How can banks work with governments, clients and investees to finance and benefit from the transition to the low-carbon and climate-resilient economy of the future? This session will present leading new initiatives in Africa and Middle East to mobilize private climate finance and emerging approaches to aligning banking portfolios to a 2 degree future. Speakers: ♦ Jonathan First, Head of Syndication Finance, Development Bank of Southern Africa ♦ Kweku Bedu Addo, CEO, Standard Chartered South Africa and Southern Africa ♦ Obi Ugochuku, Special Adviser on Climate Finance, Nigeria Minister for Environment ♦ Steve Nicholls, Head of Environmental Sustainability, National Business Initiative Moderator: ♦ Simone Dettling, Programme Lead, Banking, UNEP Finance Initiative
15:10 - 15:30 Auditorium	Keynote: Contextual Awareness - De Risking Our Own Decisions Speaker: ♦ Vanessa Otto-Mentz, Head Strategy, Santam
15:30 - 15:50	Networking Coffee Break
15:50 - 16:55	Parallel Technical Sessions I & II
Venue	Auditorium	Leadership Room
	Parallel Technical Session I: Risks and Resilience (Insurance & Investment Focus) and Launch of the City Innovation Platform African Infrastructure Risk & Resilience Publication This session focuses on how the insurance industry, as risk managers, insurers and investors can help build climate and disaster-resilient communities, cities and economies. Speakers: ♦ Cassim Hansa, Managing Director, Botswana, Continental Re ♦ Kipkorir (Kip) Koskei, Director of Policy and Technical Services, African Risk Capacity ♦ Tom Herbstein, Secretariat, ClimateWise ♦ Vanessa Otto-Mentz, Head Strategy, Santam Moderator: ♦ Peter Willis, Senior Associate, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership	Parallel Technical Session II: Sharing Best Practice in ESG Integration Together with its members and partners, UNEP FI develops and provides extensive guidance on sustainable banking as well as practically applicable tools. Taking the launch of the new Guide to Banking and Sustainability as a starting point, in this session we will discuss new best practices around risk management and commercial banking, explore where new UNEP FI tools, approaches and research presented during the first two days fill existing gaps in practical ESG integration, and jointly discuss what challenges to practical implementation UNEP FI and its members should tackle next to enable its members to become more sustainable banks. This will be an interactive discussion. Facilitator: ♦ Simone Dettling, Programme Lead, Banking, UNEP Finance Initiative
17:00 - 18:00	Parallel Technical Sessions III & IV
	Parallel Technical Session III: Green Property Finance and Financing Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Africa and Middle East While green buildings typically carry higher upfront capital/buyer costs they bring benefits of lower ongoing/ operational costs to occupants and managers, and potentially higher sale and rental values to owners. In spite of these benefits, many barriers to finance exist and have been a factor in the slow take-up of green design/ construction and property acquisition in the region. The session will provide information on present and proposed initiatives from banks and investors to address these barriers. These experiences, and drawing from other international best practices, can provide guidance on the lender and investor opportunities and challenges for bringing green property and building-integrated renewable energy asset finance products to market. Speakers: ♦ Brigitte Burnett, Head of Sustainability, Enterprise Governance and Compliance, Nedbank ♦ Judith Sidi Odhiambo, Group Head Corporate & Regulatory Affairs, Kenya Commercial Bank ♦ Matthew Ulterino, Property Investment Project Coordinator, UNEP Finance Initiative Moderator: ♦ Grahame Cruickshanks, Market Development Executive, Green Building Council of South Africa	Parallel Technical Session IV: Tackling Pollution in Cities: How Can We Finance Cleaner Air? The global urban population has increased by a factor of five since 1950. By 2050, a further 2.5 billion people are expected to be living in cities, with almost 90% of that growth in Africa and Asia. Rapid growth and urbanisation has created serious challenges in cities. Services and infrastructure are strained, exacerbating issues relating to air and water pollution, transportation and waste processing, which is degrading the urban environment. Technological solutions and infrastructure upgrades can improve the environment in cities, with resulting positive impacts on both pollution levels and human health. This session identifies solutions and discusses the potential to unlock private sector finance to scale-up pollution abatement across Africa and the Middle East, as well as highlighting successful financing models that have been applied by cities in the region. Speakers: ♦ Zoya Sisulu, Head of Debt Primary, Standard Bank ♦ Samson Gyamera, Chief Executive, Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) ♦ Malcolm Mogotsi, Director of Municipal Solid Waste, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Moderator: ♦ George Scott, Project Coordinator, Climate Change, UNEP Finance Initiative
18:30-20:00 Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton, Corner Rivonia Road and Daisy Street	UNEP FI 25th Anniversary Gala Reception Sponsored By We will be celebrating 25 years of changing finance and financing change that started in Latin America during Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and showing our appreciation of our members and partners who have made huge contributions to driving the sustainable finance agenda, not only nationally and regionally, but also globally. Speakers: ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative ♦ Wendy Dobson, Head of Group Policy, Advocacy and Sustainability, Standard Bank ♦ Vanessa Otto-Mentz, Head Strategy, Santam ♦ Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head of Sustainability, Access Bank ♦ Madeleine Ronquest, Head of Environmental and Social Risk Management, First Rand

Venue	Johannesburg Stock Exchange
08:00-09:00	Coffee and Networking
09:00-09:20	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative Opening Keynote Address Speaker: ♦ Nicky Newton-King, CEO, Johannesburg Stock Exchange
09:20-09:30	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative UNEP Finance Initiative Opening Remarks The Positive Impact Initiative: Towards an Impact-Based Financing Paradigm Speaker: ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative
09:30-10:30	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative The Positive Impact Initiative and Principles for Positive Impact Finance The Principles were released in January this year and constitute a key component of the Positive Impact Roadmap to an impact-based financing paradigm. The Principles define positive impact finance as that which enables a positive contribution to one or several of the three pillars of sustainable development, once any potential negative impacts have been duly addressed. Introduction & Moderator: ♦ Madeleine Ronquest, Head of Environmental and Social Risk Management, FirstRand Speakers: ♦ Careen Abb, Programme Lead, Positive Impact, UNEP Finance Initiative ♦ Denis Childs, Head of Environmental and Social Advisory and Positive Impact Finance, Société Générale ♦ Shameela Soobramoney, Senior Manager: Strategy and Sustainability, Johannesburg Stock Exchange ♦ Soraya Sebti, Head of Sustainability and CSR, BMCE Bank of Africa
10:30-10:50	Networking Coffee Break
10.50-11:10	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative Keynote Address Speaker: ♦ Jonathan Ferreira, Deputy Director, Financial Stability, National Treasury of South Africa
11:10-12:25	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative Open Dialogue: A new financing paradigm to achieve the SDGs in Africa and Middle East An estimated $5-7 trillion a year until 2030 are needed to realize the SDGs worldwide, with much to come from private sources. However, many investments do not fit the risk/return constraints of the private sector, which makes the cost to impact ratio still too high. Speakers: ♦ Brigitte Burnett, Head of Sustainability, Nedbank ♦ Denis Childs, Head of Environmental and Social Advisory and Positive Impact Finance, Société Générale ♦ Layalee Ramahi, Head of Strategy Tawreeq Holdings ♦ Steve Nicholls, Head of Environmental Sustainability, National Business Initiative Moderator: ♦ Careen Abb, Programme Lead, Positive Impact, UNEP Finance Initiative
12:25-12:50	Regional Launch of Positive Impact Initiative Conclusion, Announcement and Closing Speakers: ♦ Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi, CEO and Board member, BMCE Bank of Africa ♦ Wendy Dobson, Head: Group Policy, Advocacy, and Sustainability, Standard Bank Group
12:50-13:50	Lunch
13:50-14:10	Keynote: How the Insurance Industry Can Strengthen its Contribution to Building Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable African Communities and Economies Speaker: ♦ Viviene Pearson, CEO, South African Insurance Association (SAIA)
14:15-15:30	Panel: Social Inclusion and Innovation This session will examine the linkages between social inclusion and the promotion of innovative products, services and/or initiatives in the banking and insurance sectors in Africa and the Middle East. Speakers: ♦ Bradwin Roper, CEO: Sales and Service Contact Centre, FNB South Africa ♦ James Norman, Head of Insurance for East Africa, KPMG ♦ Mia Thom, Technical Director, Cenfri, Microinsurance Network ♦ Nathan van Rooyen, Head of Digital Business, Santam ♦ Sylvanus Eneche, Chief Risk Officer, Wema Bank ♦ Winnie Badiah, CEO and Co-Founder, Grassroots Bima Moderator: ♦ Rachel Aron, Principal Social Development Specialist, African Development Bank Group
15:30-16:00	Networking coffee break
16:10-16:45	Fireside Chat: The Future of Responsible Investment in Africa Speakers: ♦ Adrian Bertrand, Head of Africa and Middle East, Principles for Responsible Investment ♦ Inge West, Head of Responsible Investing, Alexander Forbes Investments ♦ Siobhan Cleary, Head of Research & Public Policy, World Federation of Exchanges
16:45-17:00	Closing Remarks Speaker: ♦ Eric Usher, Head, UNEP Finance Initiative

Side-Events

Day 3 – 29 November | 14:00 – 16:00 | Venue: Nedbank, Meeting Room 2, H Block, 135 Rivonia Road Sandown, Sandton, Johannesburg
Positive Impact Workshop

(For UNEP FI members and invitees only)

The Positive Impact Workshop will discuss more specifically why and how to issue PI-compliant financial products and what are its implications.

Day 4 – 30 November | 08:00 – 09:30 | Venue: Santam Ltd, Auditorium, 11 Alice Lane, Sandton, Johannesburg
The City Innovation Platform: delivering resilient infrastructure

Coinciding with the UNEP FI Africa Roundtable, ClimateWise, in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Santam, invite you to a breakfast launch of the City Innovation Platform (CIP) report. A panel discussion will explore opportunities for how insurers and investors can collaborate with African cities to deliver public infrastructure that is financeable and insurable while delivering the socio-economic development required. Speakers include:

• Quinten Matthew – Executive Head: Specialist Business, Santam
• Tom Herbstein – University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
• Malango Mughogho – Sustainable Finance Specialist
• Moses Khangale – National Disaster Management Centre

The event is hosted by Santam. Light breakfast refreshments will be provided.

Register here.

Participants

As of end of October 2017, we have confirmed participants from a wide range of backgrounds. See who’s taking part here.