Nairobi Securities Exchange joins United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative

10 March 2015

Nairobi- Nairobi Securities Exchange officially joins United Nation’s Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative. CEO Geoffrey Otieno Odundo declared, “Nairobi Securities Exchange firmly believes that a sustainable capital market is critical to the attainment of sustainable long-term economic growth in Kenya and the East African Community.” “We welcome the dynamism that Nairobi Securities Exchange can bring to promoting investment in sustainable development,” said Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). “The NSE can play an important role in the quest for innovative development finance and a reorientation of financial markets towards sustainable development outcomes.” Launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2009, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative (SSE) strives to promote transparency and performance on corporate sustainability practices. The global platform facilitates the collaboration of stock exchanges with investors, regulators and companies to promote responsible investment for sustainable development. By joining the SSE initiative we are boldly communicating to our regulator, shareholders, employees, listed firms, market intermediaries, investors and the general public of our commitment to promote integrated reporting on environmental, social and governance issues in Kenya.” said Mr. Odundo. Nairobi Securities Exchange becomes the 18th member of the SSE initiative worldwide and the 4th major SSE Partner Exchange in Africa, alongside Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

About the SSE

​The SSE initiative is a UN Partnership Programme organised by UNCTAD, the UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and the PRI. The SSE’s mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policymakers and relevant international organizations, can enhance performance on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SSE seeks to achieve this mission through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical assistance and advisory services.