Together with 59 other international financial institutions, CDP has signed the Operating Principles for Impact Management, developed by the International Finance Corporation to establish a market standard for impact investing.
Rome May 6,2019
Working to generate positive results, financially, socially and environmentally: this is a key concept in CDP’s mission which, together with the 2019-2021 Business Plan, strengthens its commitment to sustainable development. This commitment is confirmed by the signing of the Operating Principles for Impact Management, developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and adopted by 60 international public and private financial institutions.
The Operating Principles establish a market standard for impact investing, bringing greater transparency, credibility and discipline to the management of investments, which combine financial returns with measurable positive social and environmental impacts. Until now, there was no common framework for impact investing, despite a growing interest in the sector: so, together with important development banks and international financial institutions, the IFC decided to create a shared benchmark.
The Operating Principles reflect the best practices shared by the companies active in the impact investing sector and integrate considerations for the social and environmental impact in all phases of the investment life cycle, whilst verifying the activities of the signatories through disclosure and annual verification actions.
Collectively, the financial institutions that have adopted the IFC Principles hold investments with social and environmental impact for at least 250 billion dollars and they are committed to managing them in adherence with the Operating Principles. The signing of the Principles is a further sign of CDP’s strategic commitment to pursue a broader strategy oriented towards Sustainable Development, a fundamental pillar of the new business plan which was presented a few months ago.
At the signing, Antonella Baldino, CDP’s Director of International Development and Cooperation, stated “Sustainability must become the horizon of all investment decisions, not just a positive side effect but indispensable for all activities and investments. We believe that healthy finance can’t exist in an unhealthy economy, so it is not possible to pursue sustainable finance in an unsustainable economy. CDP is strongly committed to promoting impactful investments and is honoured to be among the first to adopt these Principles ".