UNEP FI has launched the new and enhanced Interlinkages Mapping and the 2024 edition of the Needs Mapping, as part of a comprehensive suite of resources designed to help financial institutions identify, understand, and address their sustainability impacts across the environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
The new Interlinkages Mapping
In the context of sustainability management by the private sector and by financial institutions in particular, understanding and managing interlinkages is key to avoiding unintended consequences with the risks associated with them alongside leveraging positive interlinkages and reaping the co-benefits.
To assist financial institutions in addressing these challenges, UNEP FI first developed the Interlinkages Mapping in 2023. The new 2024 edition includes the following exciting new features:
- Heat-map of Interlinkages: identifies 311 interlinkages across environmental, social, and economic impact areas, including positive and negative interlinkages, and differentiating between strong and moderate interlinkages.
- Deep-dives per Impact Topic: understand further information on the interlinkages, providing two tables on the specific interlinkages relevant to that area, offering further insights and facilitating a detailed understanding of how these interlinkages manifest in practice.
- Interactive search function: navigate the interlinkages using a simple interactive search function, enabling a more user-friendly output of the interlinkages information.
- Accompanying guidance document: Understanding and Managing Interlinkages – explores the concept of interlinkages and its relevance to banks; details the methodology behind the Mapping and highlights key topics emerging from the Mapping; places interlinkages in the context of the Impact management process as per the UNEP FI Impact Protocol.
By understanding how different sustainability topics are interconnected, banks can prioritise strategically, make more informed decisions, create financial products that support multiple Sustainable Development Goals, and ensure that their portfolios contribute to positive outcomes.
About the Needs Mapping (2024 edition)
UNEP FI’s Needs Mapping, now updated for 2024 as part of its annual review, helps financial institutions identify critical sustainability needs and priorities across environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
Drawing from three categories of sources (statistical data-sets, policy documents, and research on trends and scenarios), the Mapping provides a framework by which to perform a needs analysis as part of their broader impact analysis and impact management efforts, in line with the requirements of Principle 2 of the Principles for Responsible Banking.
The 2024 edition features the following updates and refinements:
- Updated and expanded data: now covering over 155 countries & territories, including from policy documents such as Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and national development plans
- Interactive search function: designed to aid users in easily navigating and extracting information
- User prompts for further research: enabling users to rapidly identify data gaps and complement the data contained in the Mapping
The expanded dataset allows financial institutions to better understand the unique sustainability needs of different geographies, supporting a more targeted and impactful approach to sustainable finance.
Join our webinar on January 22nd which will unveil the latest insights and resources to help organisations navigate and manage the complex interlinkages between different impact areas. It will feature the latest edition of the UNEP FI Interlinkages Mapping and the accompanying document Understanding and Managing Interlinkages. You can find the link to register here.