Environmental, Social, And Governance Frameworks For Public Officials
Due to the steep increase in public concern for climate and the environment, social justice, and corporate governance, it has become increasingly important for governments to adopt legal and policy frameworks that recognise, promote, and impose ESG standards, monitoring, and reporting schemes. While developed countries are moving forward on ESG-related frameworks, the developing world is still not ready to embrace ESG principles and practices that would motivate private sector entities operating within their borders to improve their role and performance in these disciplines.
In light of the recent adoption of standards and reporting requirements by the European Union, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) believes that public officials in all areas of the world will need to understand ESG vis-à-vis their roles as policymakers and regulators, especially in the creation of standards and reporting requirements in their national contexts.
The United Nations is committed to promoting the adoption of ESG frameworks that would improve the contributions of private sector entities across society and promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through this course, public officials will gain a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of ESG regulation and practice to leverage regulators' roles in drafting, legislating, and adopting policies relevant to ESG regulation.
This training is designed to build the capacity of policymakers and regulators to foster policy coherence by applying knowledge and best practices to align ESG regulation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national priorities and enhance the government’s engagement.
It is expected that, by the end of this course, participants will be better positioned to:
- Explain what ESG is and its relevance to public sector decision-making processes;
- Identify critical environmental, social, and governance issues;
- Explain the different roles that the public sector plays and how each of these roles can influence ESG performance in a country;
- Apply ESG principles to the design, adoption, and implementation of national-level reporting and disclosure frameworks;
- Communicate the importance and impact of ESG frameworks in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Module 1: Introduction to ESG and its Relevance in the Current Political Environment
Module 2: Environmental Factors of ESG and Incorporating Them into Decision-Making
Module 3: Social Factors and Considerations for ESG Frameworks
Module 4: Governance Factors of ESG and Ensuring Good Governance Practices
Module 5: Examining the Relationship between ESG Frameworks and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Module 6: Practical Applications of ESG Principles at the National Level and Future Considerations
This e-learning course is presented in English and is based on UNITAR’s sound adult learning pedagogical principles. Each module is developed around the overall learning objectives and the learning objectives specific to each module. Each module includes an interactive presentation complemented by a set of practice quizzes followed by an objective graded quiz to be taken after completing the lesson to assess the knowledge and skills acquired.
This course is designed to introduce Environmental, Social, and Governance frameworks to public officials who support sustainable development practices and decision-making in their roles as regulators and policymakers. Civil servants and stakeholders who support broader sustainable development initiatives could also benefit by understanding the future of public sector-imposed Environmental, Social, and Governance frameworks and reporting structures and how they will affect public and private sector operations.