The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has established a new Project Office for Sustainable Finance in Dublin, marking its first formal presence in Ireland. The announcement was made during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., by Ireland’s Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, T.D., and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
The Dublin-based office, supported by €7.5 million in funding from the Irish Government over a three-year period (2025–2027), aims to serve as a global platform to drive financial innovation and align capital with climate, nature, and sustainable development goals. The initiative is intended to respond to the growing need for impactful financial mobilisation in a rapidly evolving global financial landscape.
Functioning as a delivery platform for the UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub, the Project Office will host the secretariats of the Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) and the Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF). It will act as a central hub, connecting financial institutions, regulators, and public agencies in over 40 countries with tools, partnerships, and regulatory insights to unlock capital for sustainable development.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe stated: “This new UNDP Project Office reflects Ireland’s ambition to be at the forefront of global sustainable finance. Aligning public and private finance with real-world impact is essential to address today’s pressing climate, nature, and development challenges. We are proud to support this initiative with €7.5 million over the next three years, and I believe Dublin is well positioned to become a global centre of innovation in this space.”
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner added: “Finance is among the most powerful instruments available to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality. With Ireland’s support and leadership, this new platform will connect financial systems with the sustainability needs of people and planet. Dublin’s dynamic financial ecosystem makes it a natural choice for this effort.”
The office will facilitate the development of practical financial solutions including nature-related investment tools, gender-responsive finance mechanisms, transition finance frameworks, and digital platforms aimed at supporting low-emission, inclusive growth. It will also contribute to global policy engagement through multilateral forums such as the G20, APEC, Financing for Development (FfD4), and the UN climate negotiations. Ireland’s selection as host reflects its strong reputation in financial services and emerging leadership in climate and sustainable finance, backed by national strategies such as Ireland for Finance and multi-sector collaboration.
