South African regulatory trends in respect of the incorporation of ESG Principles

The South African Government is fully committed to addressing issues relating to sustainability and a number of South African entities are signatories to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investing and Code of Responsible Investing in South Africa ("CRISA"). National Treasury has been, and is continuing to host roundtable policy discussions among various South African stakeholders on the topic of sustainable and green finance to address environmental and social risks and opportunities, in a concerted effort to understand how issues relating to sustainable finance can be better coordinated and harmonised across the financial sector in South Africa. National Treasury’s Draft Technical Paper, titled: Financing a Sustainable Economy, recommends specific future policy actions in this regard as well as industry actions for identifying, understanding and acting on ESG risks that impact on the safety, soundness and stability of the financial sector.