The EIB at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

5 September, 14:00 – 15:00 CEST, with the participation of EIB Senior Environment & Biodiversity Specialist Eva Mayerhofer

The international community must come together now to grasp the unique opportunity that lies ahead in the next 12 months to catalyse a new wave of nature-positive infrastructure norms and practices. The confluence of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, G20 Quality Infrastructure Investment Principles, and UNFCCC’s nature-based solutions sets the stage for a real sea change.

This interactive event brought together leading representatives of public and private sector institutions working on the future of nature-positive infrastructure to exchange ideas on how to ensure that this issue is well integrated into global agreements and to highlight the most strategic and efficient opportunities we have to advance a global path forward.

5 September, 16:00 – 17:30 CEST, with the participation of EIB Senior Gender expert Carmen Niethammer

This session aimed to magnify the voice of women and showcase their experience to progress gender equity. Panelists discussed about the post-2020 Gender Plan of Action for the CBD, best practice examples from Latin America, Asia and Europe, and explored how we can work together to scale up gender-responsiveness in the post-2020 era.

6 September, 11:00 – 12:30 CEST, with the participation of EIB Lead Environment & Biodiversity Specialist Eva Mayerhofer

Neglecting to fully consider biodiversity risks in lending and investment decisions for infrastructure exposes financial institutions to material financial risks. Yet a recent report that surveyed some of the world’s largest infrastructure investors on how they integrate environmental and social safeguard concerns in their portfolios, showed that biodiversity was the least disclosed and least well integrated, compared to energy efficiency, GHG emissions, air pollution, and physical climate risks. 

This session explored the barriers to identifying, measuring, and managing biodiversity-related financial risks in the infrastructure sector and debate what needs to happen to level the playing field for investors who are serious about sustainable infrastructure.

6 September, 14:00 – 15:00 CEST, with the participation of EIB Senior Environment & Biodiversity Specialist Eva Mayerhofer

This session focused on how private and public finance can be used to achieve conservation outcomes. Examples of existing viable financial mechanisms were provided through case studies and promising future options will be demonstrated.

7 September, 16:00 – 17:30 CEST, with the participation of EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle

Events during the Forum, presented by development banks, major commodity companies, finance sector, youth, indigenous people, the philanthropic sector, governments, and civil society, as well as a range of other interested parties explored changes required in the global economic system in greater detail.

The closing plenary rounded up the responses provided by participants to these challenges and offer some actions to deliver them, including key issues to be taken to the CBD COP in Kunming in late 2020.