United Nations Development Programme

Country-level data and insights about SDG-enabling investment opportunities. This work focuses on the gap between interest in investing in SDGs and the business models that could provide investable opportunities.

Use this resource to:

• Identify: Identify investment themes in emerging markets which have significant potential to advance the SDGs that are aligned to government policies and sustainable national development needs.

Practice standards that provide a common language and a system for integrating sustainable development issues, the Sustainable Development Goals and impact management into business and investment decision-making. These practice standards also outline the ‘ABC’ classification methodology, which helps organisations assess whether an impact ‘Acts to reduce harm’, ‘Benefits stakeholders’, or ‘Contributes to solutions’ in relation to the SDGs.

Use this resource to:

Set up processes and embed practices that orient an organisation towards achieving the SDGs. The SDG Impact Standard contains practice indicators that are relevant to several actions. Use the links below to access guidance for different practice indicators. Alternatively, view the whole guidance document here.

Forthcoming: Assurance criteria for demonstrating adherence to the SDG Impact Standards for Enterprises, Private Equity Funds or Bonds, and associated certification.

Use this resource to:

• Measure, assess and value: Review certifications from underlying assets to check their systems and processes adhere to the SDG Impact Standards.
• Verification, assurance and certification: Certify that an organisation’s systems and processes adhere to the SDG Impact Standards.

Practice standards to support donors in the deployment of public resources through DFIs and private asset managers, in a way that maximises the positive contribution towards the SDGs. The Standards are harmonised in approach with the UNDP SDG Impact Standards suite, the IS-FSD constitute a framework, ensuring that collectively (with the SDG Impact Standards for PE Funds, Bond Issuers and Enterprises) they help to connect actors across the system using a common language and approach for integrating SDG impacts in the investment strategy and throughout the investment process and governance structures.

This resource calls upon organisations to:

• Strategy: Set impact objectives framed in terms of the SDGs and country priorities
• Governance: Set up processes and embed practices that are aligned with the SDG Impact Standards.
• Measure, assess and value: Understand whether all relevant information is being actioned to understand impact. The Standards outline how baselines, social/ ecological thresholds and other contextual information should be included in assessment of whether an underlying asset is contributing to the SDGs.
• Set targets and plan: under construction
• Implement: under construction
• Communicate: Disclose how impacts are managed and measured

Practice standards that provide a common language and a system for integrating sustainable development issues, the Sustainable Development Goals and impact management into business and investment decision-making.

This resource calls upon organisations to

• Measure, Assess and Value: Develop an impact management and measurement framework
• Set targets and plan: Set portfolio level impact goals.
• Implement: under construction
• Verification, assurance and certification: Disclose how the SDGs and sustainability are integrated into decision-making and report on performance

Practice standards that provide a common language and a system for integrating sustainable development issues, the Sustainable Development Goals and impact management into business and investment decision-making.

Use this resource to:

• Implement: Inform internal decision-making. The standards are designed to transform how enterprises and investors think about value creation, and integrate impact management and contributing positively to the SDGs.