Day 1: The role of MDBs, governments and development partners to mobilize private capital for natural capital investments: regional and global initiatives (and NDRC training workshop on ecological compensation)

Description

The Asia-Pacific region faces biodiversity loss, land use change, natural resource overexploitation and pollution, exacerbated by the rise of zoonotic diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. More work needs to be done to recognize what nature-positive solutions can offer as part of government’s recovery plans implemented in Development Member Countries (DMCs).

The ADB Natural Capital Lab (NCL) regional digital platform will serve as a testbed to integrate nature-positive solutions in project design and implementation, leveraging additional financial resources for nature-positive recovery in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Asia- Pacific region.

The three-days webinar series is aimed at developing the ADB Natural Capital Lab initiative with ADB regional departments and external partner organizations, in preparation of its formal launch, planned at the Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) in May 2021.

The first of the three days, which will also be combined with the NDRC training workshop on ecological compensation, will feature the role of MDBs, governments and development partners to mobilize private capital for natural capital investments.

The second day will be focused on the role of private sector investors, including commercial banks and large corporations to leverage biodiversity finance and natural capital investments in the rural economy.

The third and last session will set the stage to build the bank-wide regional platform. PRC pioneering approaches will be presented for south-south cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and the upcoming Yellow River Ecological Corridor (YREC) integrated frameworks will be used as models. ADB regional member countries will also be invited to share their approaches to leverage natural capital accounting and biodiversity finance.

Objectives

  • Build partnerships with public and private sector organizations
  • Mainstream approaches for natural capital investments,
  • Explore key potential barriers, gaps, and opportunities, and
  • Identify shared aims and potential areas of future collaboration

Target participants

  • ADB staff
  • MDBs
  • Private banks
  • Investors and corporations 
  • PRC National Development and Reform Commission

Resource speakers

  • Ahmed Saeed, Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, ADB
  • Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
  • Chris Field, Director, Stanford Woods Institute, Co-chair of IPCC (2008-2015), Group II
  • Duncan Lang, Senior Environmental Specialist, Safeguards Division and Environment Thematic Group Unit, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
  • Giovanni Ruta, Senior Environmental Economist, World Bank Group
  • Gregory Watson, Head, Natural Capital Lab, Interamerican Development Bank (IDB)
  • Gretchen Cara Daily, Founder and Director, Natural Capital Project, Stanford University
  • Irina Likhachova, Senior Operations Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  • James Lynch, Director General, East Asia Department, ADB
  • Martjin Wilder, AM Founding Partner, Pollination Group
  • Patricia Zurita, CEO, BirdLife International
  • Qingfeng Zhang, Director, Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, East Asia Department, ADB
  • Tong Zhangshun, Director General, Regional Revitalization Department, NDRC
  • Wang Jinnan, Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP), Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE)
  • Wang Xintong, Deputy Director General, Regional Revitalization Department, NDRC, PRC
  • Warren Evans, Special Project Facilitator, ADB

How to join

Register now to join the webinar.

Co-convenors

  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  • Stanford University
  • PRC National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Event Contact

  • Silvia CARDASCIA (Ms) Young Professional Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Division / East Asia Department Asian Development Bank E-mail contact form