Welcoming
its first member from Turkey, UNEP FI is
committed to working on sustainable finance
issues with the Turkish financial sector
Istanbul (Turkey), 16
April 2010 - On Thursday the United Nations
Environment Programme Finance Initiative
(UNEP FI) welcomed its first member from
the finance sector in Turkey. The membership
of the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey
(TSKB) became official at a signing ceremony,
after Paul Clements-Hunt, Head of UNEP FI,
and Halil Eroglu, TSKB's Central Executive
Officer (CEO), signed the 'UNEP Statement
by Financial Institutions on the Environment
and Sustainable Development', as a sign
for future cooperation in the area of sustainable
finance.
Extending its outreach
to the finance sector in Turkey, UNEP FI
takes the lead in developing the much needed
cooperation on environmental and social
issues. As a global UNEP public private
partnership of more than 180 institutions,
UNEP FI's programmes shall from now on include
specific capacity building projects in Turkey,
among other initiatives.
Following TSKB's signing
ceremony on Thursday, today, as a part of
a series of continuous efforts, UNEP FI's
Head of Unit Clements-Hunt also presented
the case for sustainable finance before
a wide audience of bankers at a conference
in Istanbul, entitled 'The Significance
of Environment for Financial Institutions
and Sustainability'. The conference was
organized by the Banks Association of Turkey.
UNEP FI's new member TSKB chairs the Association
and hopes to set an example, which is to
be followed by other Turkish financial institutions
willing to understand the environmental
and social impacts on the financial sector.
Paul Clements-Hunt,
Head of UNEPFI: 'At UNEP FI we are proud
and delighted to welcome our first member
from Turkey. As a UN agency, we help financial
institutions worldwide in understanding
sustainable finance. We further assist them
in building capacity and encourage the use
of our training programmes and tools. Reaching
out to the Turkish financial sector and
aware of Turkey's important geo-strategic
role, we look forward to strengthening the
partnership with TSKB as our first Turkish
member. And this is only the start.'
Halil Eroglu, CEO of
TSKB: 'We see our duty as assuming a leadership
role in creating awareness on the matter
in the sector. We at TSKB attach significant
priority to the environment and sustainable
development and carry on our efforts in
this direction. By acquiring this membership,
we will sign up for a number of good projects
and draw attention to the importance of
environmental impacts in the Turkish financial
sector.'
Notes to Editors:
United Nations Environment
Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is
a global partnership between the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and
the financial sector. Over 180 institutions,
including banks, insurers, fund managers
and investors, work with UNEP to understand
the impacts of environmental and social
considerations on financial performance.
For more information, please contact: Ms
Iveta Cherneva
