Side Event COP 23: Developing models to integrate biodiversity and climate finance at the national level

Thursday, 9^th November 2017 at 12:30-2:00pm
UNDP Pavilion, The Bonn Zone, COP 23, Bonn, Germany

Recently, innovative pilots integrated financial assessment and planning methodologies for climate change and biodiversity, based on CPEIR (Climate Policy Expenditure and Institutional Review) the BIOFIN methodology and other existing tools. Countries piloting this integrated approach include Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan. Yet other countries, such as Fiji, Mexico and Indonesia, pilot finance solutions addressing both climate and biodiversity objectives. The BIOFIN Methodology enables countries to assess the potential impact of finance solutions on a number of SDGs, including poverty reduction, climate change and biodiversity.

The panel takes stock of the rich trove of lessons from integrating biodiversity and climate related financial assessment methodologies in BIOFIN countries, exploring how other countries can pursue financing strategies that address biodiversity and climate objectives in an integrated way.

The discussion will allow practitioners to take away concrete and practical ideas, as well as global perspectives, that can help their own country's biodiversity and climate financing efforts.

We will be joined on the panel by the following speakers:

• Joshua Wycliffe - Permanent Secretary for Local Government, Housing & Environment, Fiji.
• Rinchen Wangdi - Director of Gross National Happiness Commission, Co-Chair of BIOFIN Bhutan.
• Björn Ingendahl - Deputy Head of Division, International Cooperation on Biodiversity Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany.
• Jamie Ervin - UNDP.
• Marco Arlaud - Environmental Finance Specialist, The Biodiversity Finance Initiative.
• Chencho Norbu - Secretary of National Environment Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan (closing remarks).
• Facilitator/moderator - James Maiden, Global Communications Specialist, BIOFIN