Statement by Ahmed M. Saeed, ADB Vice-President, Operations 2, at the COP 15 High-Level Session, 16 December 2022

Excellencies, delegates, colleagues, and friends:

The imminent adoption of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is an opportunity to renew our commitment to address the biodiversity crisis and to put nature on a path to recovery.

The Asian Development Bank is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Nature is the essential foundation for this work.

As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, ADB last year announced that we were raising our ambition for climate finance for 2019–2030 from $80 billion to $100 billion. We expect a significant portion of that to go toward nature-positive investments, as the dual crises of climate and biodiversity must be addressed together.

To support the implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework priorities, ADB is taking an integrated approach to deliver nature-positive investments.

Aligned with the joint MDB Nature Statement, ADB has committed to further mainstream nature into our work. We are preparing a nature-positive investment roadmap to guide this process and we are putting in place a more robust and comprehensive monitoring system to track our progress.

Through green and blue bonds, we are addressing the growing funding gap required to protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity by increasing the amount of capital to finance solutions at scale.

We are addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss by integrating green measures into infrastructure projects, adopting regenerative practices in agriculture, scaling up nature-based solutions, and reducing urban and water pollution. We are protecting wetland habitats through the Regional Flyway Initiative and supporting a sustainable blue economy by restoring and protecting healthy marine ecosystems.

ADB is supporting our developing member countries to account for and value nature, to renew National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and to develop implementation and investment pipelines.

We all have the responsibility to take on biodiversity loss and climate change. The adoption of an ambitious Framework is an essential first step.

ADB stands ready to support developing member countries to implement the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Thank you very much.