Themen:
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September 22, 2020
Acting responsibly, helping design a sustainable banking system for the future and supporting the global sustainable development agenda: these were the intentions Christiana Riley stated when officially signing the Principles for Responsible Banking at the United Nations General Assembly exactly one year ago. These Responsible Banking Principles were formulated by the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the idea behind them is for banks who commit to the principles to play a leading role in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
On its first anniversary the achievements are encouraging. The number of signatories has risen from 130 to 189 in the meantime, and these banks now account for 40 percent of global customer assets according to the UNEP FI. The first litmus test of how well the banks are progressing is scheduled for the coming year. All the signatories must then report on their achievements – not behind closed doors, but with a public disclosure. These progress statements will be collated by the UNEP FI, which it will use to produce its own detailed report. Deutsche Bank will fulfil this obligation in its next Non-Financial Report to be published in spring 2021.
For Viktoriya Brand, Head of Group Sustainability, her team and further departments, there is still plenty of work to be done. In any event Brand can certainly not complain about a lack of projects and initiatives within Deutsche Bank Group. On the contrary: “The past months have been highly intense – we sense how strongly the whole bank is shifting towards sustainability and how many doors are open to sustainable ideas. I’ve rarely experienced such a dynamic situation.” That’s no wonder: in a short space of time Brand and her team have played a key role in a number of projects, including publishing a widely noted Fossil Fuels Policy, finalising a groundbreaking Sustainable Finance Framework and drafting the bank’s first Climate Statement.
To mark the first anniversary of signing the Principles we have summarised our most important achievements to date at a glance:
Further links on the topic
Deutsche Bank Responsibility United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking
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