The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) have announced new funding support for the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s Nature-related Disclosure Projects. The initiative, backed through BMUV’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), represents a significant expansion of the ongoing partnership between the UNDP and the IFRS Foundation.
This collaboration will strengthen ISSB’s engagement with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), supporting efforts to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem considerations into mainstream corporate and investment decision-making. The initiative aligns with the vision of embedding nature-related risks and opportunities into financial systems, enhancing the resilience of markets and meeting evolving investor demands.
“Understanding nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities is key to integrating nature into our economic and financial systems,” said Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.
“Collaboration across sectors is essential for advancing standards that reflect the interconnection between business, nature, and societal well-being.”
Advancing Global Nature-related Standards
The ISSB’s Nature-related Disclosure Projects will explore how businesses’ dependencies and impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services (BEES) contribute to financial risks and opportunities. These efforts will build on the foundations of the TNFD recommendations, the IFRS S1 and S2 standards, and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework.
Key objectives include:
-
Aligning disclosures with the GRI 101 Biodiversity Standard to integrate double materiality
-
Enhancing SASB Standards to reflect BEES-related metrics
-
Prioritizing high-impact, nature-intensive sectors
-
Supporting the integration of nature into investment-grade financial disclosures
The project will also contribute to the development of a global baseline for sustainability reporting, consistent with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s objectives.
“This partnership between ISSB and TNFD is a timely and important step towards integrating nature into mainstream corporate reporting,” said Elke Steinmetz, Head of Division for International Cooperation on Biodiversity at BMUV.
“We are proud to support this effort through IKI to equip businesses with tools to understand and manage their nature-related risks and contribute to a biodiversity-aligned global economy.”
Building on a Strong Foundation
Since 2022, UNDP and the IFRS Foundation have collaborated through a Partnership Framework signed at COP27, followed by a Letter of Intent in 2024 to promote convergence in sustainability disclosure. This partnership is implemented through UNDP’s Sustainability Disclosure and Management Hub (SDMH), which assists countries in developing internationally aligned sustainability reporting frameworks.
“Investor interest in nature-related disclosures is growing rapidly,” noted Emmanuel Faber, Chair of the ISSB.
“We are grateful to UNDP and BMUV for their support, which will help us address market needs and build a stronger foundation for nature-related financial reporting.”
As global demand increases for consistent, transparent sustainability data, this partnership marks a crucial step in integrating nature into financial systems—advancing both biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic growth.
| Find out more here. |
