AI Around the Globe: What to Know in 2024
Impact of environmental, social and governance agenda on tax
Suzanne Folsom & Christopher Burnham on Private Sector Lessons
As socially responsible investing has gone mainstream, regulators in Europe and the United States have stepped in and are now formalizing rules around disclosures pertaining to Environment, Social and Governance (“ESG”)...more
On September 8, 2023, the United Nations published its first Global Stocktake report on the progress made by nations in addressing climate change. The report, which represents the first comprehensive assessment of nearly 200...more
By now, followers of the debate over use of ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria in investing and business operations are well used to the “E” taking center stage. As we discussed two months ago in this space,...more
On July 5, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a statement on the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance’s (NZIA) progress towards net-zero targets. The NZIA is convened by the UN Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) and...more
On May 4, 2023, the United Nations announced the formation of a 35-member bank-led working group to promote nature- and biodiversity-related target setting that is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity...more
Hoy hace 50 años, la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas estableció el 5 de junio como el Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente para destacar la importancia de la protección del medio ambiente. ...more
ESG is understood to be an acronym for “environmental, social and governance,” but the term can be challenging because it’s used to describe similar but distinct communities of practice, including corporate social...more
The United Nations General Assembly, the UN’s primary policy-making body, has adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of its 193 member states...more
The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (“NZBA”), the UN-led coalition of global banks “committed to aligning their lending investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050,” is facing backlash from certain sustainability-focused...more
At the recent G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bengaluru, India, attendees called for the creation of a common global framework to facilitate financing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development...more
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a UN-supported network of investors, has announced the publication of its 2023 Reporting Framework along with an update on accountability. This development, according to the...more
Companies should be thoughtful and strategic about how they structure their voluntary and mandatory climate disclosures. There are many climate disclosure standards – as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG)...more
Building on Akin Gump’s previous coverage on Singapore’s efforts to advance its green transition initiative1 and following on from our insights into the Asia Climate Summit 2022, this post provides updates on some of the key...more
The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) ended in Montreal, Canada, on December 19, 2022 with a landmark agreement to protect at least 30% the planet’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030 (known...more
The explosion of global business and human rights continued to resonate across the globe in 2022. Some of the business and human rights trends have been evident and growing for several years; others are relatively new. Many...more
Talks during the fourth day of COP 27 focused on science and youth engagement. Here’s what business leaders need to know to keep up-to-date on event proceedings...more
On Friday, April 22, the United States and the rest of the world will recognize Earth Day 2022. With “Invest in Our Planet” as its theme, Earth Day 2022 focuses additional attention on Environmental, Social, and Governance...more
In our previous post, we highlighted a number of global goals and campaigns aimed at addressing climate change. In this post, we examine climate change-oriented policies and initiatives that are being adopted by many...more
Accelerate ESG debuts with Akin Gump partners Stacey Mitchell, Ken Markowitz and Naboth van den Broek reviewing the recent UN Climate Change Conference, which Ken and Naboth attended, to offer listeners insights into the...more
Last month at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (commonly referred to as the COP26), the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS Foundation) announced the formation of an International...more
The Russian Federation has taken its first steps towards implementing global sustainable development principles by adopting the Decree of the Russian Government No. 1587 dated 21 September 2021 "On approving criteria for...more
Executive Summary - During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or "COP26," the United States' "whole-of-government" approach to climate change was on full display, with the Biden-Harris...more
As we reflect on the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), it would be remiss not to note that the United Kingdom government announced its intention for the U.K. to be the world’s “first net zero-aligned...more
In recent weeks, there has been a lot written about the COP26 United Nations Annual Climate Change Conference, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland between October 31 and November 13, 2021. The central goal of the COP26...more
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), wrapped up earlier this month in Glasgow, Scotland, after two weeks of negotiations. While attention was focused on national pledges to reduce...more