Mairead Lavery on Export Finance and Just Transitions
28 January 2021
In this episode of Voices, Mairead Lavery, CEO and President of Export Development Canada, talks about the role of overseas credit, insurance, and guarantees in the transition to a net-zero economy.
Internationally, export credit is worth around US$430 billion, wielding a profound effect on social, environmental, and governance (ESG) outcomes. With assets of US$60 billion, Export Development Canada (EDC) is one of the world’s largest export credit agencies, and Lavery is seeking to use its leverage to tackle both climate change and human rights.
In discussion with IHRB’s CEO John Morrison, Lavery discusses the importance of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to inform investment, credit, and insurance decisions throughout the finance sector. The challenge being to align human rights considerations with net-zero ambitions in order to enable energy transitions that benefit the workers and communities most affected. Lavery and Morrison also look ahead to the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP26) in November 2021, and what role they foresee for ESG approaches in the deliberations.
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Editor: Deborah Sagoe, IHRB's Communications Coordinator
