Secretary-General Urges Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative to Step-Up Green Bonds, Divest from Fossil Fuels

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the tenth anniversary commemoration of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, in New York today:

It is a pleasure to join you in celebrating the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative.  The United Nations welcomes your global efforts to align financial flows with sustainable development.

In the next decade, we must do even more.  I call on you to promote gender equality and to support small- and medium-size enterprises.  I urge you to step up with green bonds, divestment from fossil fuels, disaster risk insurance instruments and other products that will help us address the climate emergency.

And I hope you will join the United Nations Global Compact’s campaign on business ambition for 1.5ºC and engage with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Stock exchanges and the private sector are critical partners.  We look forward to many more advances through this important initiative.  Thank you.