ADFIAP was invited to attend the “Forum on Sustainable Finance: Environmental and Social Interventions in Financial Institutions (FIs) Operations” held on May 30-31, 2016 at the Shangri-La at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. The event, which was jointly hosted by the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the University of the Philippines’ National Engineering Center (UP-NEC), was attended by banks and financial institutions, government agencies, regulators, civic-oriented organizations, consulting firms and the academe.
The forum was designed to allow a continuous dialogue and engagement with financial institutions and other stakeholders in the Philippines in order to articulate a shared vision, framework and methodologies on exploring opportunities that are consistent with sustainable development principles. Its objective is to share international best practices and encourage knowledge sharing on sustainability-based risk management for future resilience and competitiveness of FIs.
Presentations were made by international and local sustainable finance experts from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Indonesia Financial Services Authority/Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) and Philippine government and private agencies, financial institutions and stakeholders actively engaged in sustainable finance.
Among the topics covered in the forum were climate change solutions, economic and inclusive growth through sustainable finance, competitiveness through sustainability and perspectives in sustainable finance. Also discussed was the opportunity for high-efficiency motors financing featuring the SWITCH HEMs (Switch to High Efficiency Motors) project, a 4-year EU grant-funded capacity building program that aims to increase energy efficiency of electricity-intensive industries and achieve reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ADFIAP is one of the implementing partners of the HEMS project whose major role is to capacitate financial institutions to enable them to enhance their capability to evaluate energy efficiency projects.
ADFIAP was represented in the event by members of the ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Group composed of Ms. Arlene Orencia, Head of Programs and Projects, Ms. Cristy Aquino, Head of Business Development and Ms. Cecile Ibarra, Head of Advocacy and Training.