NEW YORK–United Nations FCU and Organization of American States FCU co-hosted the 5th United in Sustainability (UIS) Summit here, a hybrid event that drew more than 300 credit union representatives from across the Americas to discuss support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as comments from an NCUA board member.
“As cooperatives, credit unions have an important role in localizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said keynote speaker Jamil Ahmad, director of the UN Environment Program’s (UNEP) New York Office. “We look forward to following the UIS Network’s collective action on building more climate resilient, economically-empowered, and inclusive communities.”
According to UNFCU, the UIS Network was founded by UNFCU in 2018 to provide credit unions in the U.S. with tools and resources to advance the SDGs. Today, more than 100 credit unions are active participants of the UIS Network and they regularly to discuss community leadership, amplifying impact though collaboration, and influencing the credit union industry, UNFCU explained.
Access to Resources
Members of the UIS Network have access to resources from the UN Global Compact, UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Women’s Empowerment Principles. (More information is available at uisnetwork.org.)
“By providing a platform for financial cooperatives to start or advance their sustainability journeys, UNFCU is growing a movement,” said Yma Gordon, vice president of corporate social responsibility & impact at UNFCU. “In 2023, through the UIS Network, we plan to continue this momentum. The roadmap includes more green financial products, advanced reporting on carbon footprints, and influencing our supply chains.”
Added Gavin Landless, vice president of risk management at Empower FCU in Syracuse, N.Y., “The 2022 United in Sustainability Summit opened my eyes to the environmental, social, and governance progress being made by credit unions, both across North America and further afield. The time is now for serious leadership in equitable risk-based environmental sustainability. The UIS Summit plays a vital role in bringing us together to become sustainability leaders for our communities.”
More Than 30 Experts
According to UNFCU, the UIS Summit attracted more than 30 experts and shared best practices on sustainability.
“Participants learned about green solutions; climate resiliency strategies; and the positive community impact of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging,” the credit union said.
In addition to North America, the event also drew participants from Brazil’s credit union community and the Fenasbac Institute, part of the Brazilian Central Bank ecosystem.
NCUA Board Member Shares Insights
In addition, NCUA Board Member Rodney Hood addressed the meeting and pointed to what he said has been a dramatic change within credit unions around the issue of sustainability.
“…These issues are much more central to the mission of the credit union industry. They’re gaining in importance all the time, especially as credit unions seek to attract younger members – Millennials and Gen Z,” Hood said. “Younger generations demand that organizations they do business with or work for embrace sustainability. This is why we can have an event like this, with such outstanding participation, which I think is fantastic.”
Saying he was speaking on his own behalf and not on behalf of the agency, Hood said he has always tried to keep in mind the tremendous breadth of the U.S. credit union community, from the 12-million member Navy FCU to the smallest CUs that have fewer than 500 members.
Modeling Behavior
Hood further said NCUA has encouraged credit unions to focus on sustainability issues, and has attempted to model that philosophy with its own DEI efforts. He also pointed to the agency’s Advancing Communities through Credit, Education, Stability, and Support, or ACCESS, Initiative, “which provides credit unions with tools and support to enhance outreach and service to unbanked and underbanked communities.
"While I certainly see it as a promising area, I also believe allowing the industry to move at its own speed will allow for a more considered and constructive approach,” he continued. “So, I encourage credit union leaders to pay close attention to what others are doing, see what’s working, and determine if there’s a way to incorporate these strategies into their business plans."
Just in Time for the Holidays, CUToday’s Free Morning Headline Email is Now Double-Free!
Don’t forget to check your Spam/Junk email folder if you haven’t been receiving your free, popular and daily CUToday.info news headlines.
And if you haven’t yet signed up for the new email solution on which CUToday.info has partnered with ResponseGenius, you can do so here. Signing up requires less than one minute of your time.
CUToday.info has received very positive response from readers following the move to an improved provider of the daily headlines, but many also noted they did need to go to their Spam/Junk folder and mark it as safe.
The new email solution has not only improved every reader’s delivery experience, but it also features a fresh, new format that is easy to read, especially on mobile devices.
Please note and/or make your IT department or email administrator aware the emails will be coming from the domains CUTodayinfo.com and CUTodayinfoReply.com.