The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with Mizuho Financial Group to accelerate sustainable finance initiatives throughout Japan and Asia. This partnership is set to drive sustainability-focused economic growth and integrate social and environmental considerations into business strategies, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The collaboration will expand impact finance efforts to address societal and environmental challenges and develop a sustainable investment strategy for Mizuho. UNDP will provide advisory support to enhance Mizuho’s project identification, structure finance solutions, and develop sustainable products aligned with SDG targets.
Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, emphasised the importance of private capital in achieving the SDGs. “Private capital investments at scale are essential to see accelerated progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. Our partnership with the Mizuho Financial Group underscores the vital role and compelling business case for investing in areas like climate change, biodiversity, and social equity,” Wignaraja said. “By combining Mizuho’s financial capabilities and assets with UNDP’s strategic vision and development expertise across Asia and the Pacific, we look to enable transformative change. We hope this partnership serves as an inspiration for other financing institutions to follow the Mizuho Financial Group’s lead.”
The partnership builds on Mizuho’s prior involvement with UNDP, including its participation in the “SDG Impact Standards Training” in 2022 and the release of its “Impact Business Compass” in May 2024. The collaboration will also focus on developing blended finance solutions, aligning policies with global sustainability standards, and identifying investment opportunities that support climate action, biodiversity, and social equity.
UNDP’s SDG Finance Team at the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and the Sustainable Finance Hub will play critical roles, offering resources to help Mizuho and other businesses align with SDG goals. Together, Mizuho and UNDP aim to establish a positive cycle that enhances both corporate value and SDG impact.
Yasuhiko Ushikubo, Mizuho Financial Group’s Executive Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, explained the group’s vision: “Achieving a sustainable society requires incorporating social and environmental factors, which have been regarded as external to corporate and economic activities, into decision-making as internal factors. In this way, internalising externalities is crucial to fostering a virtuous cycle of impact creation and corporate growth. The UNDP has a proven track record of supporting projects that aim to create global impact towards achieving the SDGs through capacity building that accelerates impact thinking. Through this partnership, Mizuho will work with the UNDP to promote its impact business not only in Japan but also globally.”