Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (president & CEO: Masahiro Kihara) and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. (president & CEO: Masahiko Kato) will become the first financial institutions in the world to participate in the SDG Impact Standards training programme, as developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Social Value International (SVI), a global network for social value and impact management. *1
The training will be provided by representatives of Social Impact Management Initiative (SIMI) and Social Value Japan (SVJ) who have been accredited by SVI to conduct the training. This will enhance moves to nurture staff well-versed in Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) *2 while also accelerating private-sector impact investing toward the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
SDG Impact is a UNDP initiative tasked with accelerating private-sector investment towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To this end, it formulated independent SDG investment and business global management standards. The SDG Impact Standards can be utilized by private enterprises as a tool for ensuring that business and investment decisions aimed at the achievement of SDGs are appropriate from an impact management perspective. The adoption of the SDG Impact Standards as a best-practice management framework by private enterprises will contribute to the achievement of SDGs and the building of a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient society.
Many customers are now calling on financial institutions to support moves to maximize positive impacts aimed at solving environmental and social issues.
Mizuho has enthusiastically developed and provided products that enable a wide-range of customers to get involved with impact finance. In 2017, Mizuho participated in a public-private initiative to issue Japan's first social impact bonds, for example. Mizuho also began investing in impact investment funds in 2019 and it launched the Mizuho Positive Impact Finance scheme in 2021. Furthermore, after signing up to the Japan Impact-driven Financing Initiative *3 on June 1, Mizuho decided to participate in SDG Impact Standards training programme based on an awareness of the pressing need to further develop its internal decision making procedures which complement its IMM processes. The goal is to expand and enhance initiatives in this area.
The participation in SDG Impact Standard training programme will enable Mizuho to further promote sustainable business by encouraging the adoption of SDG Impact Standards across our wide customer base.
Based on the “Open and Connected” action principle from its 5-year Business Plan, Mizuho will also work actively on sustainability initiatives in collaboration with external partners as it strives to expand positive social impacts and contribute to the achievement of SDGs.
[Social Impact Management Initiative (a general incorporated foundation)]
| Organization name | Social Impact Management Initiative |
| Representative | President: Katsuji Imata |
| Address | 3F, YAZAWA Bldg., 3-1-9, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Established | October 2020 |
| Activity | The promotion of social impact management in Japan |
| URL | https://simi.or.jp/en |
[Social Value Japan (a specified nonprofit corporation)]
| Organization name | Social Value Japan |
| Representative | Executive Director: Ken Ito |
| Address | 2F, Kuwano Bldg., 6-23-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Established | 2012 |
| Activity | Research and development of evaluation methods for social impacts |
| URL | https://socialvaluejp.org/en/ |
*1: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
The UNDP works to eradicate poverty, redress inequality and promote sustainable development in approximately 170 countries and regions. As the UN's main developmental body, the UNDP has played a major role in the formulation and global diffusion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; 17 goals adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 with the aim of transforming the world by 2030).
*2: Impact Measurement and Management (IMM):
According to the definition of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), IMM involves figuring out ways to mitigate negative social and environmental impacts of investments while maximizing positive social and environmental investment benefits, along with implementing moves to measure and manage such impacts/benefits.
*3: Japan Impact-driven Financing Initiative:
See the website below for details.
https://www.impact-driven-finance-initiative.com/en/