How to increase investment in restoration: the case for a system-wide approach

Where: Glasgow Climate Change Conference (Cop26), BENELUX-EIB Pavilion- Side-event 

When: 9th November, Tuesday, 9:30 am GMT, 10:30 am CEST

Organizer:  United Nations Environment Programme Climate Finance Unite (UNEP CFU)

Registration: First, register to the EIB & BENELUX programme @COP26 in Glasgow. Once registered you will be able to access the digital event.

Background: 

According to the report - State of Finance for Nature – investment in nature-based solutions needs to triple in the coming decade. Half of the estimated financing needs are for the management, preservation, and restoration of forest assets. As such it is critical to scale up public and private investment in forest and landscape relations and other types of nature-based solutions that could be commercially viable in addition to delivering net positive impact for the climate, rural communities, food security, etc.  Deployment of public and especially private capital has been hampered by several reasons, including limited understanding of what types of business models are commercially viable, high perceived risk by impact investors, limited track record and market transparency, absence of long-term capital/concessional finance, in addition to more systematic market failures such as perverse agricultural subsidies and trade tariffs and failure to include the environmental costs/benefits in the price of goods.   

This event advocates for the need to apply a system-wide approach to tackle these barriers, given that there is not a magic bullet. With the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 now underway, there is a need to systematically scale up public and especially private finance to advance ecosystem restoration, sustainable agricultural production, and other forms of nature-based solutions. Applying a ‘value chain’ or ‘system-wide approach’ means the focus is not on just one solution, but on the need to provide a cascade of solutions. From supporting project developers with training and other technical assistance to increase the chances of raising private finance, to reducing the costs of setting up funds and building pipelines by impact investors, you’ll hear about several innovative vehicles that can be part of the solution. Your input, thoughts, and other practical solutions will be very welcome during and after the event. 

Moderator:  Stephen Hammer, Advisor, Global Partnerships and Strategy, World Bank 

Speakers: 

• Andre Weidenhaupt, Director General, Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development of Luxembourg
• Apricot Wilson, Deputy CEO and head of the risk, Forestry and Climate Change Fund
• Bastien Loloum, Associate Manager, DELICIAS DAS ILHAS, São Tomé & Príncipe
• Niklas Hagelberg, Senior Programme Mangement Officer, UNEP
• Jonathan Gheyssens, Programme Management Officer, UNEP Restoration Factory