On 05 February 2025, UN CC:Learn organised the 10th edition of its Fireside Chat series. This edition focused on climate finance and brought together over 200 alumni to get insights into this topic from a UNDP expert.

 

Read on to find out more.

The first UN CC:Learn Fireside Chat of 2025 brought together 218 alumni for an insightful conversation on climate finance with Asad Maken, Regional Public Climate Finance Advisor at UNDP. This exclusive event, part of the ongoing Fireside Chat series, provided a unique opportunity for participants to hear directly from an expert with over 25 years of experience in public finance, climate policy, and development planning. Moderated by Lisa Main from UNITAR, the session explored Asad’s career journey, the evolving landscape of climate finance, and the key challenges and opportunities in mobilizing funds for climate action.

The discussion covered pressing questions from participants, including why climate finance often remains a small portion of national budgets, how governments can engage private sector investors, and whether debt-related financial instruments like green and blue bonds should be prioritized over grant-based funding. The interactive nature of the event allowed alumni to engage with Asad and each other through the chat and via a dedicated Q&A function, making for a dynamic and enriching discussion.

Beyond exploring the broader climate finance landscape, the event also marked the official launch of the Scaling Climate Finance e-course, a new self-paced learning opportunity developed by UNDP Asia-Pacific’s Climate Finance Network in collaboration with UNITAR. The course is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of climate finance, whether they work in government, the private sector, or international organizations. Asad highlighted the motivations behind the course’s development, its intended audience, and the key takeaways learners can expect.

This Fireside Chat was not only a milestone as the 10th edition in the series but also a testament to the growing engagement of UN CC:Learn alumni in deepening their expertise on climate-related topics. By providing a platform for direct exchanges with leading experts, the series continues to support professional growth and capacity-building for individuals working to advance climate action worldwide. Stay tuned for the next edition as we bring more voices and perspectives to the forefront of critical climate discussions!

Women from Asia smiling in a field.

Discover how climate finance can drive meaningful climate action with the new Scaling Climate Finance e-learning course. Designed by UNITAR and UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Climate Finance Network, this free, self-paced course equips professionals and citizens alike with the knowledge and tools to mobilize finance for climate action.

 

Read on to find out more.

The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat—it’s here, causing devastating impacts on communities around the globe. Addressing this urgent challenge demands bold climate action supported by significant financial investments. While the need for climate finance is immense, the good news is that opportunities to mobilize resources have never been greater. To help unlock these opportunities, UNITAR and UNDP’s Asia-PacificClimate Finance Network, with support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Government of Sweden, have launched the Scaling Climate Finance e-learning course.

This free, self-paced course aims to equip professionals from governments, the private sector, civil society, and beyond with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the intricate world of climate finance. Structured into four interactive modules, it helps learners identify key climate finance sources, instruments, and mechanisms while exploring innovative approaches to accessing new capital for climate action, including from the private sector.

In just five hours, participants will gain practical insights into mobilizing both public and private finance, applying innovative tools, and promoting inclusive, gender-responsive climate investments. Upon completion, learners will receive an official UN Certificate, showcasing their expertise in scaling climate finance—a critical skill set for driving climate action.

Find out more about the course below.

What Will You Learn?

This 5-hour, self-paced e-learning course aims to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of the climate finance system. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify key climate finance sources, instruments, and mechanisms, and explain how these interact to support climate action for mitigation and adaptation
  • Explain the roles and responsibilities of different actors and stakeholders within the climate finance system
  • Outline measures, tools, and approaches to coordinate public climate finance more efficiently and effectively
  • List innovative sources, mechanisms, and instruments that can unlock new pools of capital for climate action, including from the private sector
  • Explain how applying a gender equality and social inclusion lens to climate finance ensures investments reach at-risk and vulnerable populations

The course is designed with a strong focus on gender equality and social inclusion. Through real-world case studies, examples, and stories, learners will see how these principles can be embedded into climate finance planning, budgeting, and decision-making for both mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Who Should Take This Course?

Many actors play a role in scaling finance for climate action. While the course presents tools and approaches primarily through a government or public sector lens, it is relevant to a wide range of stakeholders, including:

  • Policy, planning, and technical staff managing or mobilizing climate finance at national and sub-national levels (e.g., from central finance or planning ministries, line ministries, sub-national governments, and parliamentarians)
  • Individuals from quasi-governmental organizations, including state or central banks, state-owned enterprises, parastatals, supreme audit institutions, and securities or exchange commissions
  • Private sector stakeholders and market facilitators involved in climate-aligned investments
  • Practitioners from non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, think tanks, and educational institutions focused on climate-related issues
  • Citizens interested in understanding how finance drives climate action and holding relevant actors accountable

While many case studies are drawn from the Asia-Pacific region, the tools, instruments, and approaches presented are applicable to individuals and organizations worldwide.

Will You Get a Certificate?

Yes! To earn a certificate of completion, participants must pass the final quiz with a score of 70% or higher within three attempts.

Take the course today!

Sustainable Finance Taxonoimies Course Image - Illustration with lines

Our latest affiliated e-course has been translated into French and Spanish.

 

Over four modules, you will learn about the role of sustainable finance taxonomies in ramping up climate finance globally and how countries benefit from them.

 

Read on to find out more.

The “Introduction to Sustainable Finance Taxonomies” affiliated e-course, launched in June 2023, is now available in French and Spanish.

The course has been developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in cooperation with the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), and it helps policymakers set up and develop sustainable finance taxonomies

By answering important questions, such as “what qualifies as sustainable?” and “what is a sustainable investment?”, this 4-module learning experience sheds light on why sustainable finance taxonomies provide a clear definition and classification of sustainable economic activities, fostering market transparency and scaling up sustainable finance while building trust and preventing problems like greenwashing

The course has been affiliated on UN CC:e-Learn in English, Spanish and French and takes and average of 4 hours to be completed. During this learning journey learners will get an overview of sustainable finance taxonomies, their relevance, purpose, and different use cases, while learning what the core elements of taxonomies are and discovering the principles and good practices for their development. The course also shows how theory is applied in practice through in-depth case studies and real-world examples from China, Colombia, the EU, and South Africa.

Who should take this course?

This course is aimed primarily at policymakers, including key ministerial staff, regulators, central bankers, capital market authorities and their advisors, as well as anyone who is interested in learning how to set up and develop sustainable finance taxonomies.

What will you learn?

This e-learning course provides technical knowledge that will help you understand what sustainable finance taxonomies are, how they can mobilize capital for sustainability-aligned economic activities, and good development practices that can help ensure they are locally applicable and globally interoperable.

After completing the course, you will be able to:

  • Explain sustainable finance taxonomies and their purpose.
  • Detail the real-life application of taxonomies in the EU and China.
  • Illustrate the key principles of taxonomy development and good practices.
  • Demonstrate how international good practices, combined with national priorities, have been used in the development of taxonomies in South Africa and Colombia.

Will you get a certificate?

The successful completion of the course rewards the learner with a certificate. To complete the course, the learner must complete all four modules, pass each associated quiz with a minimum grade of 70% from no more than three attempts, and fill in the evaluation questionnaire.

Take the course in English, French or Spanish.

Affiliation Programme

The course is made available on UN CC:e-Learn through the new UN CC:Learn affiliation programme, which highlights high-quality e-learning products on climate change developed by recognised institutions outside the framework of the UN CC:Learn programme / without support from the UN CC:Learn Secretariat, in accordance with specific affiliation criteria. The objective of the UN CC:Learn affiliation programme is to enhance global climate literacy through dissemination of high-level learning products that complement UN CC:Learn resources.

Sustainable Finance Taxonoimies Course Image - Illustration with lines

What is the role of sustainable finance taxonomies in ramping up climate finance globally? And how can countries benefit from them?

 

Our latest affiliated e-course will answer these and many more questions.

 

Read on to find out more.

Companies and financial institutions are increasing their focus on sustainability, and this has led to a series of questions, such as “what qualifies as sustainable?” and “what is a sustainable investment?”. In this context, having clear sustainable finance taxonomies provide a clear definition and classification of sustainable economic activities, fostering market transparency and scaling up sustainable finance while building trust and preventing problems like greenwashing.

To help policymakers set up and develop sustainable finance taxonomies, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH developed the “Introduction to Sustainable Finance Taxonomies” e-course on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in cooperation with the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN).

This 4-module learning experience has been affiliated on UN CC:e-Learn and takes and average of 4 hours to be completed. The e-course provides learners with an overview of sustainable finance taxonomies, their relevance, purpose, and different use cases, and explains the core elements of taxonomies while introducing principles and good practices for their development. It also shows how theory is applied in practice through in-depth case studies and real-world examples from China, Colombia, the EU, and South Africa.

Who should take this course?

This course is aimed primarily at policymakers, including key ministerial staff, regulators, central bankers, capital market authorities and their advisors, as well as anyone who is interested in learning how to set up and develop sustainable finance taxonomies.

What will you learn?

This e-learning course provides technical knowledge that will help you understand what sustainable finance taxonomies are, how they can mobilize capital for sustainability-aligned economic activities, and good development practices that can help ensure they are locally applicable and globally interoperable.

After completing the course, you will be able to:

  • Explain sustainable finance taxonomies and their purpose.
  • Detail the real-life application of taxonomies in the EU and China.
  • Illustrate the key principles of taxonomy development and good practices.
  • Demonstrate how international good practices, combined with national priorities, have been used in the development of taxonomies in South Africa and Colombia.

Will you get a certificate?

The successful completion of the course rewards the learner with a certificate. To complete the course, the learner must complete all four modules, pass each associated quiz with a minimum grade of 70% from no more than three attempts, and fill in the evaluation questionnaire.

Take the course today!

Affiliation Programme

The course is made available on UN CC:e-Learn through the new UN CC:Learn affiliation programme, which highlights high-quality e-learning products on climate change developed by recognised institutions outside the framework of the UN CC:Learn programme / without support from the UN CC:Learn Secretariat, in accordance with specific affiliation criteria. The objective of the UN CC:Learn affiliation programme is to enhance global climate literacy through dissemination of high-level learning products that complement UN CC:Learn resources.

This interactive and practical course, “Introduction to Sustainable Finance Taxonomies”, provides you with an overview of sustainable finance taxonomies, their relevance, purpose and different use cases. It explains the core elements of taxonomies and introduces principles and good practices for their development. You will learn how theory is applied in practice through in-depth case studies and real-world examples from China, Colombia, the EU, and South Africa.

 

Enroll
  • Finance

Self-paced course

3.5 hours

Welcome!

This course is aimed primarily at policymakers, including key ministerial staff, regulators, central bankers, capital market authorities and their advisors, who are interested in learning how to set up and develop sustainable finance taxonomies. By outlining the core elements and use cases of taxonomies, the course also provides important information for the real economy, including financial and non-financial companies that may need to report on the taxonomy alignment of their business activities in the future.

We hope that this course creates a clear understanding of sustainable finance taxonomies and aids in their development worldwide. Please note that this area is dynamic and continuously evolving, and this content is current as of December 2022. We recommend users to access this e-learning with a stable internet connection.

What you will learn

This e-learning course provides technical knowledge that will help you understand what sustainable finance taxonomies are, how they can mobilise capital for sustainability-aligned economic activities, and good development practices that can help ensure they are locally applicable and globally interoperable.

This course achieves the following objectives:

  • Explains sustainable finance taxonomies and their purpose,
  • Shows the real-life application of taxonomies in the EU and China,
  • Illustrates the key principles of taxonomy development and good practices, and
  • Demonstrates how international good practices, combined with national priorities, have been used in the development of taxonomies in South Africa and Colombia.

The course is divided into four modules:

  • Module 1: An overview of sustainable finance taxonomies
  • Module 2: Taxonomies in practice: the EU and China
  • Module 3: Principles of taxonomy development
  • Module 4: Taxonomy development principles in practice: South Africa and Colombia

 Each module contains several lessons and concludes with a quiz.

Completion requirements

In order to successfully complete this course, learners must:

  • Complete all four web-based training modules,
  • Pass the quiz at the end of every module with a minimum of 70%, and
  • Fill in the evaluation questionnaire.

This course aims to inscrease knowledge on negotiations to expand implementation of climate change adaptation plannning at local level under LoCAL mechanism.

Enroll
  • Finance

Self-paced course

3.5 hours

Why take this course?

The LoCAL Mechanism increases local level climate change awareness and capacities, including by integrating climate change adaptation into local government planning and budgeting in a participatory and gender-sensitive manner, and increases the financing available to local governments for climate change adaptation. LoCAL combines performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) – which ensure programming and verification of climate change expenditures at the local level while offering strong incentives for performance improvements in enhanced resilience – with technical and capacity-building support.

In this regard, this course has been designed to build a solid understanding of the negotiating environment under adaptation for LoCAL Member Countries.  It does so by first looking at the negotiation environment provided by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including its governing bodies, subsidiary bodies, negotiating groups and the financial mechanisms available, while identifying LoCAL’s coordinates within this environment. It continues by zooming into the climate change adaptation pillar, while discussing the most prominent adaptation milestones under the UNFCCC. Here, the course returns to LoCAL identifying its contribution under various articles of the convention itself, but also under the Paris Agreement, especially Article 6.8 which refers to the non-market adaptation mechanisms. Finally, the course offers an entire module on fundamentals of negotiation, strategies and tactics applied in international conferences.

The course at a glance

The course is self-paced and adapted to the schedule of full-time working professionals. The course is presented in three modules and we highly recommend to be taken in the order in which they are presented:

  1. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Five interactive lessons discussing the UNFCC framework for international cooperation to address climate change, covering governing and subsidiary bodies, negotiating groups and financial mechanisms and a case study (Financing Local Climate Adaptation in LDCs).
  2. Adaptation under the UNFCCC: Three interactive lessons describing adaptation milestones and highlights under the UNFCCC and the LoCAL mechanism
  3. International Conferences: fundamentals of negotiation, strategies and tactics: Two interactive lessons investigating the fundamentals of negotiation, strategies and tactics at international climate conferences.

Get your Certificate

The successful completion of the course rewards the learner with a certificate. To complete the course, the learner must complete all three modules and pass each associated quiz with a minimum grade of 70% from no more than three attempts.

How can we accelerate the achievement of climate and development targets by leveraging the financial sector?

 

The Introduction to Sustainable Finance e-course has been completely revamped and will answer this and many more questions in 4 different modules that cater to several audiences, from the financial sector to civil society.

 

Read on to find out more about the course.

Sustainable finance is key to achieving the much-needed climate and development goals. In this context, the new Introduction to Sustainable Finance e-course has been developed to help users working in finance better understand the ins and outs of sustainable finance.

This interactive and practical e-course provides you with the basic knowledge you need to understand sustainable finance – its scope, its contribution to supporting action on climate change and sustainable development, the main actors and how financial institutions make decisions on sustainability-related issues. The course also allows you to dig deeper into topics such as sustainable finance instruments, methodologies and frameworks for integrating sustainability into financial decisions, key global initiatives and sustainable finance regulations. These topics are supplemented by examples and case studies from around the world.

The course is available in a self-paced format (i.e., you can take it any time) and has four modules that take about 10 hours to be completed. The target audience includes governments, academia, the financial sector, businesses, and civil society. To register for the course please register on the UN CC:e-Learn platform and then enrol to the course.

The Introduction to Sustainable Finance e-course was originally developed in 2018 by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, as part of their Strategic Alliance (STA) on Green Bond Market Development in G20 Emerging Economies, and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a One UN initiative bringing together five UN agencies. In 2021, the course has been comprehensively updated with technical inputs by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Take the course today.

This interactive and practice-oriented course, originally developed in 2018 and comprehensively updated in 2021, covers the basics of Sustainable Finance while providing several opportunities to dive deeper.

Enroll
  • Finance
  • Green Economy

Self-paced course

10 hours

Welcome!

This interactive and practice-oriented course, originally developed in 2018 and comprehensively updated in 2021, covers the basics of Sustainable Finance while providing several opportunities to dive deeper. The course covers sustainable finance instruments, methodologies and frameworks for integrating sustainability into financial decisions, key global sustainable finance initiatives, and sustainable finance regulations. It is designed for interested participants from governments, academia, the financial sector, businesses, and civil society.

What you will learn

  • Explains the potential contribution of sustainable finance to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change;
  • Explains the core concepts of sustainable finance and the relevance of sustainability considerations for the key actors in the financial system;
  • Describes the role that regulation and industry initiatives (self-regulation) play in shaping sustainable finance;
  • Describes different sustainable finance products, such as bonds and loans, that may be available to provide the capital needed to support the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The course at a glance

This course is presented in four modules:

  1. Sustainable Finance in Context: two lessons describing the role that sustainable finance can play in delivering global goals on climate change and development.
  2. Fundamentals of Sustainable Finance: five interactive lessons explaining the core concepts of sustainable finance and the relevance of sustainability to finance sector decision-makers.
  3. Sustainable Finance: Regulation and Self-regulation: three interactive lessons analyzing the role that regulation and industry initiatives (self-regulation) play in shaping sustainable finance.
  4. Sustainable Finance Products: six interactive lessons describing some of the products, such as bonds and loans, that may be available to provide the capital needed to support the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

This e-tutorial aims to provide an incursion through the LoCAL mechanism. It provides answers to a series of questions such as: Why are local governments in a position to address climate change at the local level?, How does LoCAL mechanism help local governments to address climate change?, What are the components LoCAL relies on and how are they interlinked?,  Where does LoCAL operate? and others more.

Enroll
  • Adaptation
  • Finance

Tutorial

1 hours

Building on two decades of experience in local development finance, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has established the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) to address the unfunded mandate of local governments in addressing climate change adaptation.

Local governments in least developed countries (LDCs) are in a unique position to identify the climate change adaptation responses that best meet local needs, and typically have the mandate to undertake the small- to medium-sized adaptation investments required for building climate resilience. Yet they frequently lack the resources to do so – particularly in a manner aligned with established local decision-making processes and planning, budgeting and budget execution cycles.  In this context, LoCAL comes to empower local governments to contribute towards the achievements of national determined contributions (NDCs) and NAPs where available.

This e-tutorial aims to provide an incursion through the LoCAL mechanism. It provides answers to a series of questions such as: Why are local governments in a position to address climate change at the local level?, How does LoCAL mechanism help local governments to address climate change?, What are the components LoCAL relies on and how are they interlinked?,  Where does LoCAL operate? and others more.

Who should take this tutorial?

While the e-tutorial is available to the general public we encourage the following categories of individuals to take it prior to attending any face to face training or webinar organised by UNCDF:

  • Field officers/UN Volunteers, and local/central government staff who are actively involved in LoCAL implementation at country level;
  • UNCDF and national experts who contribute to the scoping and design phase and lead during LoCAL implementation;
  • The engaged public and practitioners with an interest in understanding ways to leverage climate adaptation finance at the local level.

The learning experience

The e-tutorial contains a 4-minute video and an interactive lesson. The interactive lesson itself includes four sections and a variety of learning checkpoints helping you to remain engaged throughout. 

The e-tutorial does not provide certification, however, you will receive a badge, upon completion, acknowledging that you have acquired the knowledge provided on LoCAL. The badge will be sent to you by email and it can also be found under the “Certification” tab next to the “Course page”. Be aware that upon completion of all the activities a survey will be revealed for you to take. Please, take it. Your opinion counts and it will help us improve further. Moreover, the survey counts towards the badge issuance together with the other activities.

This newly launched e-tutorial brings to you UN Capital Development Fund’s two decades of experience in local development finance. Learn how local governments in least development countries can unveil and maximize action towards climate change adaptation through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) Mechanism.

How effective local governments can be in tackling climate change? Aiming to answer this question and shed light on the importance of local government in the fight against climate change, UN CC:Learn has partnered with UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to deliver a new e-tutorial on The LoCAL Mechanism which touches on the role these governments in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have in identifying and executing the best climate change adaptation responses.

Local governments in LDCs are uniquely equipped to meet the needs of the local population and provide small-to -medium-sized adaptation investments. Nevertheless, they often stumble across financial constraints that hamper these activities. To bridge this gap and help solve this issue, the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) Mechanism can be an effective tool to empower local governments towards the achievements of their national determined contributions (NDCs) and their national adaptation plans (NAPs).

This e-tutorial aims to provide an incursion through the LoCAL mechanism. Through a 4-minute video and an interactive lesson, this learning resource provides answers to a series of questions such as: Why are local governments in a position to address climate change at the local level? How does LoCAL mechanism help local governments to address climate change? What are the components LoCAL relies on and how are they interlinked? Where does LoCAL operate? and others more.

While being open to everyone, people who may benefit greatly from this tutorial are:

  • Field officers/UN Volunteers, and local/central government staff who are actively involved in LoCAL implementation at country level.
  • UNCDF and national experts who contribute to the scoping and design phase and lead during LoCAL implementation.
  • The engaged public and practitioners with an interest in understanding ways to leverage climate adaptation finance at the local level.

This e-tutorial is currently available in English and can be accessed here.