A group of 26 financial institutions, with collective AUM in excess of €3 trillion announced the creation of the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, committing to make positive contributions to biodiversity through their activities and investments. The pledge will officially be launched today at the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Learning for Nature session, and AXA Group CEO Thomas Buberl will speak on behalf of the signatories next week at the Biodiversity Summit of the UN General Assembly.

Buberl said:

“As a company which, over the past 5 years, has made important decisions in the fight against climate change, we are convinced that the preservation of biodiversity requires strong actions and an equally broad collective commitment from all stakeholders. This is why, along with more than 20 leading financial institutions, we support the new “Finance for Biodiversity” pledge and commit to translating nature conservation objectives into investment strategies.”

The banks, asset managers, insurers and impact funds, joining the initiative are collectively committing to collaborate, engage, and assess their own biodiversity impact. This will include setting targets and reporting on biodiversity matters by 2024 at the latest. In addition to focusing on their own impacts, signatories of the pledge will call upon world leaders to reverse nature loss this decade.

The 26 signatories launching the Pledge are:

ACTIAM N.V., Achmea Investment Management, AEGON Nederland N.V., Allianz France, ASN Bank, ASR Nederland, Bank J. Safra Sarasin, Bankinter, AXA Group, Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, Domini Impact Investments LLC, Etica Sgr – Responsible Investments, HSBC Global Asset Management, Karner Blue Capital, Mirova, Piraeus Bank, New Forests Pty Ltd, NN Investment Partners, NWB Bank, Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., Robeco, Triodos Bank, Triple Jump, UFF African Agri Investments, Vancity Investment Management and Volksbank.