NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Cleaner air and water. New and growing job opportunities. Communities that can withstand the impacts of climate change. To realize this clean energy future, we must work together.

Join Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group, and RMI Managers Taylor Krause and Ian Welch-Phillips for our December webinar. The discussion, moderated by RMI Trustee Martha Brooks, will explore the importance of activating the next generation of climate leaders and how these leaders are partnering to advance clean energy solutions around the world.

We hope you will join us!

Time: 10 a.m. MT/12 p.m. ET

As carbon markets become a vital tool for funding the global transition to a sustainable economy, it is essential that they also serve to create a more equitable and just transition for all. This can only be realized if carbon markets meaningfully include and benefit underserved communities especially women, in emerging and developing countries by eliminating barriers to participation and making them more inclusive and impactful.

Inclusive financial services can support efforts to build more inclusive carbon markets and enhance development impact. Emerging evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia and beyond, indicates that carbon projects are increasingly leveraging credit, savings, and payment products to reach excluded communities and deliver concrete improvements to the lives and livelihoods of the people most vulnerable. This emerging role of financial services presents an opportunity for financial service providers (FSPs) to deepen their engagement in the climate space, and for carbon project developers and other climate stakeholders to leverage the power of inclusive financial services to advance climate resilience, adaptation, and a just transition.

Join us for a discussion on the important role financial services can play in building more inclusive carbon markets. CGAP experts will present emerging evidence on how financial services are enabling carbon project developers to enhance their development impact, providing real-world examples and high-potential use cases. The webinar will also explore opportunities for the financial sector to play a greater role in carbon project development, and for carbon project developers and other stakeholders to leverage the power of inclusive financial services to advance climate resilience, adaptation, and a just transition. Finally, the webinar will outline opportunities for funders to support innovative approaches to financial services-enabled carbon projects.

Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am EST

UNEP FI is hosting its 18th Global Roundtable on 10-11 December in Geneva, Switzerland and online. The flagship event will focus on accelerating practical approaches to setting and implementing targets in areas including net zero, nature, impact, pollution, human rights, and financial inclusion to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNEP FI’s biennial Global Roundtable (GRT) is a key event for driving action within the finance industry, offering thousands of professionals the chance to collaborate with peers and gain insights from global leaders. The GRT convenes a diverse group of stakeholders, including banks, insurers, investors, regulators, policymakers, and civil society, to collectively shape the sustainable finance agenda and catalyze action across the financial system to deliver more sustainable global economies for years to come.

UNEP FI and Building Bridges join forces                  

This year, the Global Roundtable will be held under the same roof as Building Bridges (9-12 December), a powerful movement that brings 2500+ attendees from 100+ countries from the finance and corporate sectors, governments, civil society, academia, and sustainable development communities to Geneva annually, to shape the global sustainable finance agenda and build a bridge towards a global economic model that meets the needs of a sustainable and just society. Find out more about Building Bridges 2024 here.

Those who are registered to attend the Global Roundtable from 10-11 December will also have access to the Building Bridges 2024 Action Days from 10-12 December.