Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) bonds are a fast-growing trend as a way to promote public goods through investment and corporate practice.
Through ESG bonds, private businesses raise capital by agreeing to integrate ESG principles into their business operation or through separate activities. In recent years, interest and investment in ESG bonds in Latin America have grown dramatically.
Latin American investment and asset managers, companies and stock exchanges, are leading the way by mobilizing capital at the same time that international organizations, local NGOs and, in some case, governments establish standards and best practices to monitor, regulate and evaluate this growing field.
This roundtable addresses questions such as:
- What are ESGs and how do they work?
- How are ESGs addressing issues of failures in public policy and traditional private sector practice?
- How can monitoring and regulation be improved to ensure intended goals are met?
- How are funds structured and managed?
- How are ESG funds affecting practice and business in specific, concrete ways?
- When are ESGs most effective in addressing endemic challenges in the environment, and when are they not?
Participants
Sir Ronald Cohen, Chair, The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Harvard Business School
Mariana Oiticica, ESG & Impact Investing, BTG Pactual
Gabriel Serber, Director of Sustainable Development and Social Impact, Arcos Dorados
Ana Yang, Executive Director, Sustainability Accelerator, Chatham House
Chair: Dr Elena Lazarou, Acting Head, External Policies, European Parliamentary Research Service, Associate Fellow, US and the Americas Programme, Chatham House
Chair: Dr Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America, Chatham House
