Innovative Finance Approaches for Nature-based Solutions

Organized with:

Description

The planet’s inextricably linked threats of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security have been worsened by the losses in our natural ecosystems globally, with overfished oceans, massive forest depletion, polluted and disappearing water sources.

COP 15 in December 2022 saw governments give priority to halting nature loss by agreeing on global goals to guide action through to 2030, including an intention to scale up financing for biodiversity over this period. Nature positive solutions are globally require an estimated $200 billion each year to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

On the occasion of the COP 28, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) & the OPEC Fund for International Development has announced the Nature-Solutions Finance Hub (NSFH) to proactively scale up the flow of finance into conserving and protecting nature and biodiversity loss in Asia Pacific.

In collaboration with both finance and technical partners, ADB aims to catalyze at least $2 billion by 2030 from public and private sources. The Hub aims to focus on

• designing nature-based solutions or nature positive approaches in projects
• prioritizing projects for maximum nature impact and replicability
• structuring innovative finance approaches aimed at derisking projects

Objectives

The event Innovative Finance Approaches for Nature-based Solutions aims to brainstorm with the identified knowledge and technical partners on innovative finance approaches to efficiently implement nature positive solutions. Inputs and suggestions from the roundtable will help provide strategic directions for the development of implementation approaches and guidelines for the Nature Solutions Finance Hub.

Target participants

Public and private sector, international institutions, NGOs, delegates from COP28

Resource speakers

• Angela Andrade, Chair of IUCN’s Global Commission on Ecosystem Management, IUCN
• Patricia Zurita, Chief Strategy Officer, Conservation International
• Nina Mikander, Director of Policy, BirdLife International
• Melissa Ho, Senior Vice President for Freshwater and Food, WWF
• Somnath Basu, Senior Advisor ESG, Opec Fund for International Development
• Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director of Environmental Finance, UNDP
• Simon Zadek, Executive Director, NatureFinance
• Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bond Initiative
• Slav Gatchev, MD Sustainable Debt, The Nature Conservancy
• Ariadne Gorring, Co-CEO, Pollination Foundation
• Adebayo Babalola, Director, Strategic Planning Unit, OPEC Fund for International Development

Agenda

Time	Session	Speakers
11:00 - 11:05 a.m.	Welcome and setting the context	The urgency for Nature-based solutions Warren Evans, Special Senior Advisor for Climate Change, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
11:05 - 11:45 a.m.	Strategic implementation of Nature-based Solutions	Moderator Yoko Watanabe, Director, Environment, ADB Panelists Nature based Solutions: future directions Angela Andrade, Chair of IUCN’s Global Commission on Ecosystem Management, IUCN Nature based Solutions and Climate Change Patricia Zurita, Chief Strategy Officer, Conservation International Landscape approach and Nature based Solutions: Regional Flyways Initiative Nina Mikander, Director of Policy, BirdLife International Integrated approach for Nature based Solutions: Climate, Nature and Food Security Melissa Ho, Senior Vice President for Freshwater and Food, WWF Sustainable infrastructure and Nature based Solutions Somnath Basu, Senior Advisor ESG, OPEC Fund for International Development Promoting inclusive Nature based Solutions in achieving SDGs Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director of Environmental Finance, UNDP Q&A/Group Photo
11:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.	The innovative finance aspects of Nature-based Solutions	Moderator Anouj Mehta, Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission (TRM), ADB Panelists Sustainability-linked Sovereign Debt Platform Simon Zadek, Executive Director, NatureFinance Scaling up Nature Bonds Sean Kidney, CEO, Climate Bond Initiative Debts for Nature Swaps Slav Gatchev, MD Sustainable Debt, The Nature Conservancy Biocredits Ariadne Gorring, Co-CEO, Pollination Foundation Derisking Finance Approaches Adebayo Babalola, Director, Strategic Planning Unit, OPEC Fund for International Development Group Photo
12:20 - 12:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks	Khalid Khadduri, Director, Business Development, Private Sector & Trade Finance Operations, OPEC Fund for International Development