Report: 60% of AIIB’s approved projects aligned with SDG 13 on climate action

25 / 10 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

Nearly 60 percent of all projects approved by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2022 aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13): Climate Action, according to the AIIB Sustainable Development Bonds Impact Report 2022.

This reflects AIIB’s commitment to sustainable development and to ensure all of AIIB’s financing activities align with sustainable development objectives.

In December 2022, AIIB received an award for the ‘Best Sustainability Panda (CNY) Bond’ at the Asset Triple A country awards.

In 2022 alone, over $7 billion of sustainable development bonds were issued by AIIB, showcasing its contribution to narrowing the gap between capital markets and sustainable infrastructure development.

By the end of 2022, AIIB’s sustainable development bonds supported the financing of 202 projects in 33 Members.

The AIIB Sustainable Development Bond Framework (The Framework) is at the forefront of AIIB’s mission. The Framework covers not only green investments that contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation, reduce local air pollution and support biodiversity conservation, but also social and sustainable infrastructure investments in education, digital technologies, public health, rural development and urban environments.

Climate finance of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) amounted to 56 percent of total approved regular financing in 2022, according to the report.

The AIIB continued to make progress towards the achievement of its Corporate Strategy’s ambitious targets of directing 50% of overall approved financing toward climate finance by 2025, and its commitment to be Paris-aligned by July 2023.

In 2022, 5% of climate adaptation finance had dual benefits of mitigation and adaptation, compared to 2021, when it was 2%.

In 2022, transport sector projects contributed to the highest share of climate finance (31%), followed by energy projects (30%), multisector (26%), water (13%).

The 2022 Impact Report includes AIIB Sector Outcomes in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.

AIIB’s energy sector projects approved by 2022 are expected to avoid 19.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year.

Under the projects, 11,787 MW renewable generation capacity was installed in addition to 28,090 GWh of primary energy saving through investments to improve energy efficiency, and 1,519 GWh of new or improved regional cooperation through cross-border electricity transmission capacity.

As for the transport sector projects, 467 million people have access to urban mass transport, including electrification of urban transportation networks, electrical buses, and more efficient underground metro facilities.

In 2022, AIIB approved 12 new projects that actively apply digital technologies to improve the quality of infrastructure and helped 1.22 million people gain access to water supply and sanitation services.

In 2022, AIIB approved a total of $ 6.81 billion in financing for sustainable infrastructure projects. This is a significant increase from the $1.7 billion for nine projects approved in 2016.

As for natural disaster resilience, the bank also contributed to protecting 4,900 ha of land through flood control infrastructure, getting 13.8 million people to benefit from water disaster protection.

Concerning water services, the bank supported 8.71 million people with improved access to safely managed drinking water supply services, 7.42 million people with improved access to safely managed sanitation services, and 22 million water users with improved irrigation and drainage infrastructure.

As for gender equality, the integration of gender considerations into AIIB’s portfolio, with 44.1% of all approved projects, including gender actions and/or meaningful gender-sensitive indicators in the design.

This report shares AIIB’s journey toward sustainability and its commitment to becoming Paris-aligned by July 1, 2023. The report also presents data on AIIB’s bond issuance profile, portfolio volume, alignment with thematic priorities, portfolio performance, portfolio allocation and selected project impact stories chosen to illustrate how AIIB is addressing clients’ needs while also making an impact among its Members in Asia and beyond.

AIIB aims to continuously enhance its approach and respond to changes in industry best practices and market expectations. AIIB’s Sustainable Development Bond Framework and Impact Report approach will be reviewed over time to reflect the evolution of the green, social and sustainable bond markets and changes in AIIB’s strategies, policies and processes.

The 2022 Sustainable Development Bonds Impact Report documents AIIB’s major efforts toward sustainability in 2022 and how it supported the sustainable development of its Members in an ever-changing post-pandemic environment.