25 August 2023 – UNEP FI has updated its Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks after completing its annual review of the ‘Needs Mapping’ in the context module.
Designed to support signatories of the Principles for Responsible Banking meet their requirements, context analysis is a central feature of UNEP FI’s holistic impact methodology, enabling banks to understand the environmental, social and economic context of the countries and locations in which they operate. Accordingly, the UNEP FI Needs Mapping is an integral part of the impact management toolkit designed to support banks, and provides a collection of resources tracking relevant indicators at global and country level for the different Impact Areas and Topics (captured by the UNEP FI Impact Radar).
Available as a standalone file, as well as being embedded in the Context Module of the UNEP FI Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks, the Needs Mapping is updated on an annual basis.
The Mapping covers the needs and priorities of over 100 countries across the 12 Impact Areas and 38 Impact Topics of the UNEP FI Impact Radar. These are compiled from the statistical data sets, research and policy documents of the UN, international organisations as well as reputable academic and civil society organisations.
Highlights of the 2023 update include:
- Update of all data as per the source resources
- Consolidation of data and sources for a number of Impact Topics previously presenting gaps
- Inclusion of new data from policy and research documents across all Impact Areas and Topics
- Special update of the global level needs involving a more thorough analysis
Download the updated Needs Mapping here.
Download the updated Context Module here.
About the Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks
UNEP FI’s Impact Analysis Tools are used for the practical application of UNEP FI’s holistic impact methodology, and are designed to support banks in the implementation process of the Principles for Responsible Banking.
In 2017 UNEP FI’s Principles for Positive Impact Finance put forward a new, holistic, approach to impact management for private financial institutions, involving the systematic consideration of both positive and negative impacts across the three pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social, socio-economic).
In 2019, UNEP FI launched the Principles for Responsible Banking, which requires signatory banks to align their core strategy, decision-making, lending and investment with the Sustainable Development Goals, and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement. To achieve this, Principle 2 requires banks to perform an impact analysis of their portfolios, to identify their most significant impact areas and to set impact targets and action plans accordingly, so as to manage their positive and negative impacts.
In 2022, the Impact Analysis Tool gradually transitioned to a modular format, where the different components of impact analysis are contained within distinct modules. The new modular format allows more flexibility to accommodate for a variety of types of user.
Download all the modules of the Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool here.