SDG Youth Public Policy Innovation Challenge: Food Security and Poverty Alleviation | Beijing, China | 24-28 July, 2025
SFI and the Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (UNITAR SDGs Singapore Center), in collaboration with Renmin University of China, proudly presents the “SDG Youth Public Policy Innovation Challenge: Food Security and Poverty Alleviation.”
This initiative invites university students from prestigious institutions worldwide to address critical issues in global development public policy related to food security and poverty alleviation.
The competition serves as a leading platform for young innovators to explore sustainable development both theoretically and practically, encouraging them to propose creative solutions to contemporary policy issues from a youth perspective.
Join the challenge before April 7, 2025 to win a fully funded trip to China!
Sustainability, Finance and SFI
About the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI)
Founded in New Haven, CT, the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) creates and delivers cutting edge sustainable finance and climate related Certification, Executive Training & Custom Workshops, Researches and key global initiatives such as the Private Equity for Future (FPE), Resilience Finance Initiative (RFI), World Sustainability Museum (WSM), and the Global Climate Innovation Hubs Initiative (GCIHI).
SFI is the only third-party provider for the World Sustainable Finance Association's (WSFA) Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst – CSFA™ certificate program.
Combined with industry experience, the CSFA™ programs strive to allow trainees across interested age groups to become fully immersed in the theory and practice of sustainable finance, and emerge as leading practitioners in this rapidly growing field.
Our Executive and Workshop programs involve the best, most experienced teaching available globally, using well evolved techniques which keep our courses vibrant and fully engaging for students, including access to some of the largest investment institutions’ case studies.
Armed with an affiliated network of the brightest minds and most talented practitioners around the world from consulting, industry, academia and think-tanks, SFI conducts numerous Research projects for organizations from the United Nations to Fortune 500 companies, as well as emerging climate tech startups. Since the early 2000's, our researchers have delivered exceptional sustainability strategy solutions to tackle challenges faced by businesses and investors today.
Our mission is to be the first, as well as the world's leader at providing programs which develop communities of best sustainable finance practice and climate tech ventures, giving candidates a multi-disciplinary perspective including multiple global on the ground experiences, and making important connections towards their becoming part of a growing cohort of leading global practitioners of sustainable finance.
SFI also has offices and/or partner liaisons in New York City, Shanghai, London, Montreal, Miami, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Oslo.
The Sustainable Finance Institute’s board of directors and leading faculties are mostly from the world’s leading academic, such as Yale, Harvard, Brown, and financial institutions from around the world.
Sustainable Investing trends
Sustainable investing is reshaping the financial landscape as global pressures demand responsible business practices and robust resilience against unforeseen shocks. Amid rising anti-ESG sentiment in parts of the United States, investors are re-centering on sustainable business models that deliver long-term ROI while contributing to societal and environmental well-being.
Enhanced ESG disclosure requirements and frameworks like the EU Taxonomy and initiatives from the International Sustainability Standards Board provide clearer guidelines for assessing both financial performance and sustainability impact. Central to this new approach is double materiality, which requires companies to evaluate not only how ESG issues affect their financial health but also how their operations impact society and the environment.
A growing element of this paradigm is resilience finance, which emphasizes creating financial systems that withstand climate events, market volatility, and geopolitical instability. By incorporating rigorous risk assessments and proper valuation strategies, resilience finance complements sustainable investing to safeguard long-term returns while advancing sustainability objectives.
In parallel, the integration of artificial intelligence is transforming sustainable investing. AI-driven analytics and machine learning models enable investors to process vast amounts of data more efficiently, identify emerging ESG risks, and uncover sustainable investment opportunities that traditional models might overlook. This technological innovation not only enhances the precision of sustainability assessments but also supports dynamic portfolio management by rapidly adjusting to evolving market conditions and sustainability criteria.
Capital is increasingly flowing into innovative vehicles such as green bonds, Climate Tech funds, and Impact Investing products, reflecting a shift toward investments that balance profitability with positive societal impact. As financial institutions integrate sustainability factors into core strategies, the convergence of AI, resilience finance, and sustainable business models is setting a new standard for risk mitigation and competitive advantage.
This integrated approach not only bolsters investor confidence but also helps build a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient global economy.
We love to bring out the best of rising sustainability stars
Yale University
Members, Faculty Advisory Committee, and Co-instructors at Yale, teaching Energy Studies, Climate Tech Ventures and sustainable investing from 2015 featuring many prominent speakers from across the spectrum of energy innovation and investment. This multi-disciplinary program has record levels of student interest.
Brown University
Our popular course helped establish the Brown University Sustainable Investment Fund in 2016 alongside our class The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing, whose final projects involve building investment portfolios which outperform and ongoing side research which has contributed to recent books, including topics such as funding green infrastructure, sustainable private equity and venture capital.
New York University
New York University
Designed and teaching BSPA-UB 48: The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing for undergraduates and co-teaching Sustainable Finance and ESG Investing Executive program at the Stern School of Business.
Columbia University
New York University
RFK Sustainable Investing Certificate program - during 2013-14, designed, led teaching and delivered a successful multi-disciplinary sustainable investing program for professionals which included $15T of assets among the senior students from Pension Funds such as NY State Common, NY City Retirement, CalPERS, LACERA, City of Boston Employee Retirement, Apollo, Carlyle, Generation and many similar
at Columbia University.
University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Mentored the successful Prosper Social Finance student run fund at the University of Edinburgh which attracted significant interest and funding from the university and gives back part of its profits to the local community, along with other student funds at global universities.
Bard College
University of Edinburgh
Partnered with the #1 ranked Green MBA by the Princeton Review to review and certify Bard MBA in Sustainability students to meet the requirements as Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst: CSFA™ to meet the needs of the growing number of finance sector employers looking for ESG and sustainability expertise.
New York State
Advised New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli of the state’s first-ever Decarbonization Advisory Panel. SFI's Cary Krosinsky, one of the panel's leading experts, advised the Comptroller, as trustee of the $300+ billion New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund), on how best to mitigate investment risks stemming from climate change and maximize opportunities from a low-carbon economy.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Designed and Teaching HKUST's " ESG Investing and Green Finance Strategy for Portfolio Management" program for DiMBA/MBA/EMBA students. This program examines emerging methods for incorporating ESG (environmental, societal and corporate governance considerations) into investment practice from both the investor and corporate boardroom perspectives.
Tongji University
Tongji University
Designed and teaching Tongji University's "Introduction to Carbon Neutrality, Climate Change and Sustainability". This course is an introduction to the major topics in carbon neutrality, climate change, and sustainability including: the scientific basis of the greenhouse effect; the history of Earth’s climate; the effect of climate change on human wellbeing - food, water and health; the interconnections among climate change, carbon neutrality, and sustainable development goals; economics, public policy and sustainable investment; the national and international frameworks for the management of climate change; the global trends in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and what it all means to the students.
leaders
Cary Krosinsky
Cary is a leading educator, author, mentor and advisor focused on the nexus of sustainable finance, energy and climate change.
He is a Co-founder of the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) and the Carbon Tracker Initiative and Founding Mentor to Climate Tech VC.
Lecturer and Faculty Advisory Committee Member, Energy Studies, Yale College teaching a seminar on energy, climate and investing.
Ongoing academic involvements also continue at Brown, Columbia’s SIPA, Concordia (Montreal), HKUST and the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki.
Member of the NYS Common Retirement Fund Decarbonization Advisory Panel whose recommendations informed their 2019 Climate Action Plan including our suggestion of minimum standards.
Recently developed the Clean Energy theme for the Global Impact Investing Network (the GIIN) and ESG+ for index provider CSI.
Author of multiple influential sustainable finance books, including Sustainable Investing: Revolutions in Theory & Practice and The Art of Long Term Performance
Johnny (Zhong) Huang
Johnny (Zhong) Huang is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of hands-on experience in China-US climate tech, high-tech, manufacturing, finance, education, and consulting industries and has advanced degrees in aerospace and hydrogen technologies.
He is the co-founder and Executive Director for Asia at the Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI).
He is frequently consulted by corporations, ministries and departments on renewable energy, built environment, eco-solutions, clean transportation, and sustainable foods and materials.
He sits on the boards and advises technology firms on EV battery technology, patent law and the Internet of Things. He also advises regional governments and state-owned-enterprises (SOEs) on climate technology adoptions and policy initiatives.
He teaches at Yale, HKUST and Tongji universities and frequently speaking to classes at Harvard, Brown and NYU.
Johnny's early entrepreneurship experience makes him a potent leader of several key initiatives, such as the Resilience Finance Initiative (RFI), World Sustainability Museum (WSM), and the Global Climate Tech Innnovation Hubs Initiative (GCIHI).