Butch Bucani is the Head of Insurance at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and leads the UN Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Initiative, the largest collaboration between the UN and the insurance industry. The PSI, endorsed by the UN Secretary-General and insurance industry CEOs, is a global framework designed to address sustainability challenges and build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities and economies on a healthy planet.
Butch conceptualized key industry concepts such as sustainable insurance, net-zero insurance, nature-positive insurance, and insurance SDGs. He spearheads initiatives that contribute to achieving the Paris Climate Agreement, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His leadership includes chairing the UN Forum for Insurance Transition to Net Zero, producing the first global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) guides for non-life and life & health insurance, and piloting climate-related financial disclosures with major insurers.
Additionally, Butch has been instrumental in developing the Sustainable Insurance Facility with V20 finance ministers for climate-vulnerable countries and aligning insurance portfolios with the SDGs. He co-led the creation of the UN Sustainable Insurance Forum for regulators and supervisors and worked alongside the California Insurance Commissioner to produce the world’s first sustainable insurance roadmap. Butch was also part of the Green Finance Task Force, initiated by the People’s Bank of China and UNEP, to help establish China’s green financial system.
Butch’s global efforts have led to the creation of regional sustainable insurance roadmaps and strategies for African, Latin American, and North American markets. He is recognized for his pioneering studies on sustainable insurance and responsible investment, and was named to Insurance ERM’s inaugural list of the most influential people leading the insurance industry’s response to climate change.
