SSE Global Dialogue

The SSE Global Dialogue is the largest global gathering of stock exchange CEOs exclusively devoted to sustainable finance. As the SSE’s flagship event, the Global Dialogue brings together CEOs from the SSE’s 130 Partner Exchanges around the world. Joining exchange CEOs in these high-level events are other capital market leaders including: chief security market regulators, CEOs from institutional investors and issuers and heads of standards setting bodies and other international organizations. This biennial event is a unique opportunity for capital market leaders to meet with their peers before a global audience to showcase their exchange’s contributions to the SDGs and shape the global agenda on sustainable finance. 

The Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative is a UN Partnership Programme launched by the UN Secretary-General in New York City in 2009 and organized by UNCTAD (Investment and Enterprise Division), the UN Global Compact, UNEP (Finance Initiative) and the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment. The SSE’s mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policy makers and relevant international organizations can enhance performance on environmental, social and corporate governance issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Today the SSE counts over 130 Partner Exchanges around the world.

Past SSE Global Dialogues have taken place as part of the following events:

• 2010 UNCTAD World Investment Forum in China
• 2012 Global Compact Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum in Brazil
• 2014 UNCTAD World Investment Forum in Geneva
• 2016 PRI-in-Person conference in Singapore
• 2018 UNCTAD World Investment Forum in Geneva
• 2021 UNCTAD World Investment Forum Online

Session themes:

• What role can stock exchanges play in mainstreaming standardized sustainability reporting, including climate disclosure?
• What role can exchanges play in innovating and improving sustainability themed investment products, from equities, to bonds to derivatives?
• What role can exchanges play in combating the climate crisis?
• How are exchanges integrating sustainability into their market education programmes?
• What do exchanges need from regulators and policy makers to improve the financing of the SDGs? What do regulators and policy makers need from exchange?
• What are the main challenges for taking this agenda forward? What next steps can we collectively take as a group of exchanges?