Aegon has joined a consortium, with combined assets of over €2.8 trillion, to support investment in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Tomorrow they will invite the Dutch government and Central Bank to join them in this support.
[node:field_featured_media:entity:field_media_image]Board representatives of the 18 signatories will present their call for further cooperation and collective action to Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)'s conference in front of over 700 investors.
The Initiative is the first in the world to bring together national pension funds, insurance firms, and banks around a shared Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) investment agenda.
2030 Goals
Last year, the UN set out the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, a set of 17 highly ambitious goals relating to climate, poverty, health care, education, and other challenges.
Institutional and private investment capital is critically needed to help finance the $5-7 trillion that is needed each year to finance the 2030 Agenda.
The consortium believes that it is not only of societal importance, but also in the interest of their investors and business relations, to consider the largest social and environmental challenges of our time in their work and investments. In their report 'Building Highways to SDG Investing', its signatories recommend priorities for maximizing 'SDG investing' (SDGI) – at home as well as abroad.
"In today's tumultuous world, public-private cooperation is increasingly important as a driver for positive change," said Marc van Weede, Head of Sustainability and Strategy at Aegon. "The 2030 Agenda offers not only a challenge, but also an opportunity to collectively do well by doing good."
Six-month consultation
The SDGI agenda is a result of a six-month consultation process with more than 70 fellow investors, government representatives, and expert practitioners. In their report the signatories offer concrete ways in which to accelerate and scale investing in the SDGs. Further conversations will take place over the course of December, including a cross-sectoral stakeholder consultation at the Dutch Central Bank on the 14th of December.