New York – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), founders FINCH and founding partner Mars, Incorporated today celebrated the first year of The Lion’s Share, an innovative and unique initiative to support wildlife conservation and animal welfare across the globe.

The initiative, which was launched one year ago at the United Nations General Assembly, asks major advertisers to contribute 0.5 percent of their media spend for each campaign featuring an animal. The fund aims to raise $100 million a year over the next three years, which will be invested in initiatives and programmes that benefit animal welfare, conservation and their environments worldwide.

Following a first-anniversary event held earlier this week at this year’s General Assembly, The Lion’s Share announced its latest partner, Sydney-based insurance giant IAG. It joins founding partners UNDP, FINCH, Mars, Incorporated, advertising heavyweight BBDO and leading global measurement and data analytics company Nielsen, and media partners The Economist Group and JCDecaux.

The UN event hosted by UNDP and partners brought together UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Dr. Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and National Geographic Society Explorer, David Droga, Founder and Creative Chairman of Droga5, South African musician Bonj.

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said: “The Lion’s Share shows what a simple but innovative idea can accomplish.  Through brands and media coming together, we have been able to raise not only financing for conservation and wildlife, but also to engage new audiences on this issue.  And we would be thrilled to have others join us.”

The Lion’s Share was also featured at this year’s Social Good Summit as Jean-Sébastien Decaux, chief executive of JCDecaux, Amy Dickman, a National Geographic grantee and research fellow at the Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), and David Droga, Founder and Creative Chairman of Droga5, celebrated the first year of the fund.

UNDP has a vast portfolio of environmental development programmes, which brings with it many years of experience distributing funds and managing development programmes in an efficient, transparent and accountable way.