High Ambition Group

Convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

AMBITION STATEMENT

The High Ambition Group aims to lead change towards more sustainable food systems through setting and publicly committing to ambitious targets, putting a roadmap for implementation into place, and pioneering sustainable finance solutions.

The High Ambition Group

Is working to show how institutions can practically:
  1. Improve the assessment and management of material social & environmental risks,
  2. Reduce material environmental and social impacts and increase the positive impacts of investment/lending portfolios and operations, and
  3. Increase financial flows towards more sustainable food systems.

The High Ambition Group (HAG) is a leadership initiative composed of public and private financial institutions, including global environmental funds, banks, asset managers, fin-techs and agri-businesses.

The HAG is actively onboarding new members through 2023 – contact Jorge Hinojosa at Jorge.Hinojosa@unep-wcmc.org to learn more.

The UN Environment Programme‘s new report ‘Driving Finance for Sustainable Food Systems: A Roadmap to Implementation for Financial Institutions and Policy Makers’ provides a roadmap for private financiers to drive significant capital flows towards food systems and highlights good practices demonstrated and promoted by the GFFN’s High Ambition Group.

Access the full report here

Impact areas that High Ambition Group members set targets towards

Environmental (Climate & Nature) Impact
  • Land use change (deforestation)
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Water use efficiency, management
  • Reduction/Avoidance of food loss and waste
  • Pollution and nutrient efficiency management
  • Reduction of negative impacts on biodiversity
  • Sustainable production and food processing
  • Resource efficiency & circular economy approaches & technologies (sustainable operations, traceability)
Socio-Economic Impact
  • Food Security (e.g., increasing food production, yield/productivity improvements)
  • Jobs, living wages, livelihoods
  • Nutrition (healthy foods)
  • Human rights and labour conditions
  • Gender equality
  • Capacity building, technical assistance, training, R&D

Impact Areas with Targets set by HAG members as of April 28, 2023

Exemplary Targets in the Agrifood SectorDownload
Leading financial institutions from the High Ambition Group announce ambitious targets in environmental and social impact areas ahead of COP27.

Press Release: ‘Finance leaders publish new generation of ‘high ambition’ targets for the sustainable food transition’ – read here

High Ambition Group 2022 Members

To get involved in the High Ambition Group, please contact:

Jessica Smith at Jessica.smith@un.org

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