ESG News

International Albinism Awareness Day
2024-06-13 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
What is albinism?
Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited difference present at birth. In almost all types of albinism, both parents must carry the gene for it to be passed on, even if they do not have albinism themselves. The condition is found in both sexes regardless of ethnicity and in all countries of the world. Albinism results in a lack of pigmentation (melanin) in the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to the sun and bright light. As a result, almost all people with albinism are visually impaired and are prone to developing skin cancer. There is no cure for the absence of melanin that is central to albinism.
While numbers vary, it is estimated that in North America and Europe 1 in every 17,000 to 20,000 people have some form of albinism. The condition is much more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, with estimates of 1 in 1,400 people being affected in Tanzania and prevalence as high as 1 in 1,000 reported for select populations in Zimbabwe and for other specific ethnic groups in Southern Africa.

Health challenges of people living with albinism
The lack of melanin means persons with albinism are highly vulnerable to developing skin cancer. In some countries, a majority of persons with albinism die from skin cancer between 30 and 40 years of age. Skin cancer is highly preventable when persons with albinism enjoy their right to health. This includes access to regular health checks, sunscreen, sunglasses and sun-protective clothing. In a significant number of countries, these life-saving means are unavailable or inaccessible to them. Consequently, in the realm of development measures, persons with albinism have been and are among those “left furthest behind.” Therefore, they ought to be targeted for human rights interventions in the manner envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals.
Due to a lack of melanin in the skin and eyes, persons with albinism often have permanent visual impairment. They also face discrimination due to their skin colour; as such, they are often subject to multiple and intersecting discrimination on the grounds of both disability and colour.

Did you know?

Albinism is a genetic condition inherited from both parents that occurs worldwide, regardless of ethnicity or gender.
The common lack of melanin pigment in the hair, skin and eyes of people with albinism causes vulnerability to sun exposure, which can lead to skin cancer and severe visual impairment.
As many as 1 in 5,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa and 1 in 20,000 people in Europe and North America have albinism.
In some countries people with albinism suffer discrimination, poverty, stigma, violence and even killings.
In some countries, women who give birth to children with albinism are repudiated by their husbands, and their children abandoned or the victims of infanticide.
The movie industry has seldom portrayed people with albinism accurately, preferring to depict them as villains, demons or freaks of nature.
Violence against people with albinism is largely met by social silence and indifference, and is seldom followed by investigations or the prosecution of perpetrators.

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

World Blood Donor Day
2024-06-14 00:00 - 23:59
14 June is World Blood Donor Day

Every year countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). The event serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key component of an effective health system. The global theme of World Blood Donor Day changes each year in recognition of the selfless individuals who donate their blood for people unknown to them.

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
2024-06-15 00:00 - 23:59
Addressing Elder Abuse
Between 2019 and 2030, the number of persons aged 60 years or over is projected to grow by 38%, from 1 billion to 1.4 billion, globally outnumbering youth, and this increase will be the greatest and the most rapid in the developing world, and recognizing that greater attention needs to be paid to the specific challenges affecting older persons, including in the field of human rights.
Elder abuse is a problem that exists in both developing and developed countries yet is typically underreported globally. Prevalence rates or estimates exist only in selected developed countries — ranging from 1% to 10%. Although the extent of elder mistreatment is unknown, its social and moral significance is obvious. As such, it demands a global multifaceted response, one which focuses on protecting the rights of older persons.
Approaches to define, detect and address elder abuse need to be placed within a cultural context and considered along side culturally specific risk factors. For example, in some traditional societies, older widows are subjected to forced marriages while in others, isolated older women are accused of witchcraft. From a health and social perspectives, unless both primary health care and social service sectors are well equipped to identify and deal with the problem, elder abuse will continue to be underdiagnosed and overlooked.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Older Age Policy, Law and Evidence-based Responses
In the context of last year’s commemoration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), the World Health Organization in partnership with Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN WOMEN and with support from the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), published Tackling abuse of older people: five priorities for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030. The resource outlined key priorities to prevent and respond to abuse of older persons and, hence, contribute to improving their health, well-being and dignity. This year, the commemoration will provide an update on the implementation of the priorities.
Ahead of the milestone of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), this year’s commemoration of WEAAD will also connect with the year-long campaign to promote and recognise the 75th anniversary. As the month of June of the campaign will focus on showcasing the UDHR by raising awareness on its legacy, relevance and activism as relates to women’s rights, the theme of the 2023 WEAAD commemoration in the United Nations Headquarters in New York is entitled Closing the Circle: Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Older Age – Policy, Law and Evidence-based Responses.

Did you know?

Around 1 in 6 people 60 years and older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year.
Rates of elder abuse are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.
Rates of elder abuse have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elder abuse can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
Elder abuse is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations.
The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050.

Ageism affects how we think, feel and act towards others and ourselves based on age. It imposes powerful barriers to the development of good policies and programmes for older and younger people, and has profound negative consequences on older adults’ health and well-being. Launched by World Health Organization, the Combatting Ageism Campaign aims to change the narrative around age and ageing and help create a world for all ages.

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

International Day of Family Remittances
2024-06-16 00:00 - 23:59
Background
The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is a universally-recognized observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and celebrated every year on 16 June. The Day recognizes the contribution of over 200 million migrants to improve the lives of their 800 million family members back home, and to create a future of hope for their children. Half of these flows go to rural areas, where poverty and hunger are concentrated, and where remittances count the most.
Through this observance, the United Nations aims to bring greater awareness of the impact that these contributions have on millions of households, but also on communities, countries, and entire regions. The Day also calls upon governments, private sector entities, as well as the civil society, to find ways that can maximize the impact of remittances through individual, and/or collective actions.
The IDFR is now fully recognized at the global level, and included as one of the a key initiatives to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (Objective 20), also calling for the reduction of remittance transfer costs, and greater financial inclusion through remittances. The Day also promotes achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and furthers the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Remittance flows trends
In 2022, international remittances to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) amounted to US$647 billion. Such average monthly transfers of US$200-US$300 sent by migrant workers support many basic household and prove transformational for both households and local communities, enabling many families to achieve their ‘own’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
However. the cost of transferring US$200 across international boundaries to LMICs is still high —averaging 6.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022. Mobile providers offer the best rates (4.5%), but less than 1% of transactions are made through digital channels. Remittance services are now much quicker and less expensive thanks to digital technologies.
For further information visit: familyRemittances.org and IFAD.

Digital remittances towards financial inclusion and cost reduction
IFAD, as custodian of the IDFR, aims at ensuring support of the observance and dissemination of resulting actions in the framework of the decennial #FamilyRemittances Campaign 2020‑2030: Support one billion people reach their own SDGs. In that timeframe, through a spotlight on yearly themes aligned to the global development agenda, the campaign aims at strengthening and guiding stakeholders in focusing on the new trends and priorities that make remittances count more.
The IDFR 2023-24 campaign focuses on promoting digital technologies to enhance financial inclusion in LMICs, and to work towards achieving the cost reduction target of 3% as mentioned in SDG 10.c.
The IDFR and the United Nations commend the determination and resilience of the human spirit as evidenced by migrant workers. Further, the UN calls for governments, the private sector, development organizations and the civil society to promote digital and financial solutions for remittances that foster greater social and economic resilience and inclusion.

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
2024-06-17 00:00 - 23:59
Her land. Her rights.
Droughts are among the greatest threats to sustainable development, especially in developing countries, but increasingly so in developed nations too. In fact, forecasts estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population.
The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades (WMO 2021). When more than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, this is a huge problem.
Women hold a vital stake in the health of the land, yet they often don’t have control over it.
In all parts of the world, women face significant barriers in securing land rights, limiting their ability to thrive and prosper.
In many regions, they remain subject to discriminatory laws and practices that impede their right to inherit and access to services and resources.
And when land becomes degraded and water is scarce, women are often the worst affected.
This year, the theme of the International Day Against Desertification, and Drought “Her land. Her rights”, emphasizes that investing in women’s equal access to land and associated assets is a direct investment in their future and the future of humanity. It’s time for women and girls to be at the forefront of global land restoration and drought resilience efforts.

Did you know?

Today, nearly half of the global agricultural workforce is female – yet less than one in five landholders worldwide are women.
Women’s rights to inherit their husband’s property continue to be denied in over 100 countries under customary, religious, or traditional laws and practices.
Globally, women already spend a collective 200 million hours every day collecting water. In some countries, a single trip to fetch water can take over an hour.

source: UNCCD

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

US Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Leadership Edition 2025
2025-03-06 00:00 - 2025-03-10 23:59 | ONLINE
The Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is offering the Certified Sustainability Practitioner Program, Leadership Edition 2025, scheduled for March 6-7 and 10, 2025. This intensive three-day program, delivered through live online sessions with thought leaders, is designed to equip professionals with the latest practical tools and resources necessary to enhance their organization’s sustainability performance and financial results.
For more information about this comprehensive and globally recognized program, and to register, please visit the program page: https://cse-net.org/trainings/usa-sustainability-esg-course-cohort1/
ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

Live Webinar: Understanding the Global Circularity Protocol (APAC Listeners)
2026-02-26 01:00 - 01:30 | Webinar
The Global Circularity Protocol (GCP) is positioned to become a reference framework for measuring and communicating circular economy performance. As companies face growing pressure to substantiate circularity claims, understanding how GCP works and how it fits with ESG and sustainability reporting is a must.
Join this 30-minute webinar hosted by Scott Lane, Speeki’s CEO and Founder, to gain a clear understanding of the GCP.
What you will learn:

What the GCP is (and what it is not)
Where the GCP fits within existing ESG frameworks
Why assurance matters for circularity disclosures
How to ensure your circularity initiatives are assurance-ready

Thursday, 26 February 2026

First session

5:00pm Sydney time
2:00pm Singapore time

Register now

Second session

4:00pm London time
11:00am New York time

Register now

ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.

Live Webinar: Understanding the Global Circularity Protocol (EU & U.S. Listeners)
2026-02-26 11:00 - 11:30 | Webinar

2nd Annual ESG and Climate Africa Summit
2026-11-24 08:00 - 2026-11-25 17:00 | Trademark Hotel, Village Market, Limuru Road, Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya
Driving Africa’s Sustainable Future Through Bold Climate Action and Responsible Governance

The 2nd Annual ESG and Climate Africa Summit returns to position itself as the continent’s premier platform for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration and climate resilience. Following the success of its inaugural edition, this high-level, two-day event gathers the brightest minds to transition from climate dialogue to measurable, localized action.
The summit acts as a critical nexus for over 150 industry leaders, policymakers, international investors, and sustainability professionals to align public and private sector strategies. Attendees will collaboratively explore actionable roadmaps to address the twin challenges of rapid economic development and pressing climate adaptation.

Event Details

Event Name: 2nd Annual ESG and Climate Africa Summit
Dates: November 24–25
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Type: Professional Conference / Summit
Expected Turnout: 150+ participants and 100+ industry & technology leaders
Cost/Tickets: Registration tiers vary; direct inquiries for group participation or individual passes can be routed to the organizers.
Website: Hosted by the Leadvent Group Event Page

Core Themes & Discussion Pillars
The summit’s agenda is carefully curated to reflect the realities and unique opportunities of the African market. Key focus areas include:

Sustainable Finance & Green Capital: Mobilizing funds through green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, and blended finance to propel eco-friendly projects.
Net Zero & Decarbonization Pathways: Exploring scalable roadmaps for sector-specific emission reductions and the development of local carbon markets.
Climate Risk Management: Utilizing scenario analysis and physical risk modeling to prepare infrastructure and businesses for environmental shifts.
Standardized ESG Reporting: Mastering the frameworks (such as ISSB and GRI) required for transparent metrics, data collection, and materiality assessments.

Why You Should Attend

Actionable Insights: Move beyond theoretical sustainability. Walk away with practical frameworks to embed impact-driven ESG principles directly into your corporate decision-making or national policy.
Targeted Networking: Engage in highly curated 1:1 matchmaking sessions, interactive workshops, and executive roundtables designed to forge cross-border partnerships.
Discover African Innovation: Get a firsthand look at localized technologies, clean-tech startups, and circular economy strategies tailor-made for the continent’s landscape.

Inquire about media and sponsorship
ESG News Editorial TeamThe ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.
