At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) unveiled its latest initiative to support climate and energy financing goals: a free online e-learning course titled “Introduction to Sustainable Finance for Climate and Energy.” Created in collaboration with UNDP’s Sustainable Finance, Climate, and Energy teams, this course is part of UNDP’s strategy to help countries worldwide meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement and advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The course covers core topics in sustainable finance, including sovereign debt tools, carbon markets, and private finance innovations. It explores financing mechanisms rooted in Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs), which guide countries in aligning their financial systems with sustainable and climate-resilient development pathways.
Tom Beloe, Director of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, emphasized the course’s role in promoting climate action: “This course marks a significant step in UNDP’s efforts to enhance global cooperation and empower countries to fulfill their commitments to climate action and a just energy transition. By offering it as a global public good, we ensure that knowledge on financing climate-smart and sustainable energy investments is accessible to all.”
The course is set to enhance outreach through UNDP’s SDG Finance Academy, a flagship platform offering specialized training and tools to address the $4.2 trillion annual financing gap for SDGs. The Academy also trains and deploys sustainable finance experts globally to foster a collaborative community of practice on climate finance. This free course is expected to reach public and private sector professionals, policy-makers, NGOs, and students, making it an invaluable tool for stakeholders looking to bridge gaps in climate finance knowledge.
An upcoming article in Columbia University’s journal, Multilateralism in Action, will further delve into UNDP’s collaborative strategies, illustrating how initiatives like this e-learning course help drive national-level progress toward the SDGs and climate commitments.
In a bid to underscore their commitment, UNDP officials also announced plans to add specialized course modules on energy transition policies and investment case studies from emerging markets, helping to deepen understanding and action on sustainable finance.
