Alliance Finance Company PLC has become the first Sri Lankan financial institution in the banking and non-banking sector to pledge commitment to a global initiative promoting sustainable finance. Delegates to the 7th Global Sustainable Finance Conference (GSFC 7) supporting the UN-backed sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement (COP21), collectively referred to as ‘Agenda 2030’, have signed the ‘Karlsruhe Resolution’ at the City Hall, Karlsruhe, Germany on 13 July.
The signing ceremony drew over 200 delegates from over 30 countries including high-ranking public officials and senior members of the international finance industry who watched the signing of the resolution, among others, by Arshad Rab, CEO, European Organisation for Sustainable Development and Sri Lanka’s Alliance Finance Company PLC Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Romani De Silva. The Lord Mayor of Karlsruhe, Dr. Frank Mentrup also signed the resolution as a witness.
The resolution stresses the important role of the financial services industry in achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2030 such as, among others, financing and investing in the implementation of the SDGs and COP21 projects in their respective countries, are calling on governments and regulatory institutions to create policy frameworks that promote investments in innovation that will contribute in creating a green, inclusive and sustainable economy and calling for a collective global action to ensure a level-playing field for all financial sector players.
The crafting of the ‘Karlsruhe Resolution’ was a joint undertaking of the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD), the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) and the City of Karlsruhe.
