A new association, the International Association for Sustainable Economy, launched today, with the aim to establish a global ESG professional accreditation certification.

The new association is chaired by Javier Manzanares Allen, Deputy Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate fund dedicated to helping developing countries take climate action, including aiding in limiting or reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.

Commenting on the new launch, Allen told ESG Today:

“We strongly believe that the more educated our society and our professionals are, the better ESG practices we will have. This ESG mainstream is here to stay, it is already affecting everyone and everywhere.

“At IASE we look forward to contributing actively to a more sustainable development. Getting one of IASE professional certifications is going to boost recognition, career success, visibility, best professional and ethical standards for both the financial and business sectors, their employees, clients, suppliers and the entire value chain, with the aspiration to contribute to a much better society.”

The IASE stated that it will be the first Association in the world that will certify professionals in the field of ESG completely online. The association intends to launch official online exams during the fourth quarter of 2020, to certify the knowledge and skills of professionals in the domain of ESG subjects. Professionals who meet educational and experience requirements, pass a Professional Competency Exam/Board Exam set by IASE, and agree to abide by IASE’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility can achieve ISF or ISB certification, earning as an expert in the field of ESG and sustainability, according to the IASE.

Concurrent with today’s announcement, other professional associations announced that they will work together with the IASE in launching ESG certifications, including the Personal Finance Society (PFS) and Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Keith Richards, Chief Executive Officer of the PFS, and Managing Director of Engagement at CII, said:

“ESG considerations have been growing in prominence within the institutional market for a good number of years and is increasingly prominent for the retail market and set to grow from a government, regulatory and investor perspective over the coming years.

“The IASE qualifications will be designed in collaboration with highly experienced ESG professionals from multiple geographies and sectors around the world and enable holders to demonstrate their technical competence through certification to International standards.

“We look forward to working with IASE to help shape qualifications that improve understanding of the different responsible investment approaches and the green finance market.”

According to the IASE, the new association is supported by 25 countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, South Korea, India, USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and South Africa among others.