The EBRD participates in this year’s 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, demonstrating its leading role among multilateral development banks (MDBs) as a pioneer in the delivery of climate finance. President Odile Renaud-Basso and Managing Director for Green Economy and Climate Action Harry Boyd-Carpenter are among EBRD figures expected to attend the event.
This conference is key to delivering enhanced ambition on climate action.
The EBRD comes to COP26 with two recent commitments of its own on enhancing its climate action. One, made in October 2020, is to increase the proportion of its green investments to more than 50 per cent of the total by 2025. The second, made in July 2021, is by end-2022 to align all its operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement on limiting climate change.
See the list of our key events below:
Date: 1 November
13:45 – 14:45
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
Meeting the objectives of the Paris Alignment will require transformation of the financial sector, from their risk management practices and strategies, to the way financial institutions engage with their clients. The panel will bring together the regulatory perspective as well as experience of banks in translating their Paris Alignment ambition to short to medium term goals and transition plans.
EBRD representative: Francis Malige, Managing Director, Financial Institutions
Date: November 2
12:15-13:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
The EBRD’s “High Impact Partnership on Climate Action” (HIPCA), the Bank’s first multi-donor fund on climate change and environmental degradation, builds synergies and aggregates EBRD and partner ambitions to achieve scaled-up climate impact, in the Bank’s region.
The EBRD region plays a vital role in responding to the climate emergency and meeting commitments under the Paris Agreement. Collectively, this region has a legacy of industrial pollution, high dependency on fossil fuels, and growing sectoral emission trajectories. This is compounded by increasing vulnerability to climate change and sustained environmental degradation.
The new partnership provides a critically needed vehicle to support the Bank in achieving its 50 per cent target for green financing by 2025 and the aim to align its activities with the goals of the Paris Agreement. With these ambitious targets comes the need for bold and novel partnerships.
Apart from the launch of the new fund, the event will feature a discussion between EBRD and governments representatives on the EBRD’s approach to tackling climate change and meeting COP26 goals through partnerships.
EBRD representative: Mark Bowman, Vice President, Policy and Partnerships
Date: 2 November
13:00-14:00
Location: meeting room 4 (150/150) Area F - Ground Floor
This event will formally launch the Global Methane Pledge, which commits to reduce methane emissions across all sectors and countries by 30% from the levels of 2020. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas, 28 times more than CO2 and rapidly abating its emissions from agriculture, wastes, wastewater and energy infrastructure is at the core of the transition towards zero carbon world.
US President Biden and Commission President von der Leyen will open the event and launch the Pledge. They will be followed by a number of government Leaders that have signed the Pledge as well as the EBRD in representation of the multilateral development world.
EBRD representative: Odile Renaud-Basso, EBRD President.
Date: 2 November
16:15-17:00
Location: UK Pavillion
Nature is global public good, delivering climate and development benefits in areas as diverse as adaptation, mitigation, jobs, livelihoods, gross national income, inclusion, productivity health, nutrition, well-being and raising incomes. The Multilateral Development Banks play a vital role in ensuring that sustainable investment delivers these benefits in client countries.
EBRD representative: Odile Renaud-Basso, EBRD President
Date: 3 November
12:15-13:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
This event follows MDBs annual tradition of presenting their joint progress on Paris alignment across the six building blocks of our joint Paris alignment approach, first presented at COP24 in Katowice. The MDBs will present the experiences of operationalisation of Paris alignment and new methodologies and principles that have been developed under the joint work streams, followed by a panel discussion with speakers from other organisations and country representative.
EBRD representative: Harry Boyd-Carpenter, Managing Director, Green Economy and Climate Action
Increasing market focus on climate risks has led to a rise in corporate commitments to set science-based targets (SBTs) for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of supply chains to disruption. The corporate supply chain presents both mitigation and adaptation opportunities in countries where climate action may not be as high a priority. In this context, incentivising the climate resilience and decarbonisation of supply chains, through a cascade of sustainability standards, can be a powerful lever for enabling transition. However, affecting change in supply chains is challenging, particularly once you get beyond tier 1 suppliers. Furthermore, most lower-tier suppliers are the least equipped to handle sustainability requirements, particularly if they are located in countries where there is no incentive for mitigation or adaptation. This event will seek to take stock of successful strategies for decarbonizing and building climate resilience within the supply chain; and identify new financing solutions, as well as capacity building practices, to enhance the current effort.
Moderator: Diane Holdorf, Managing Director of Food and Nature at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Expert Speakers:
- Lauren Hankinson, Senior Manager for Government Affairs at DS Smith
- David McNeil, Head of Climate Risk, Fitch Ratings
- Alzbeta Klein, Director General of the International Fertilizer Industry
· Francis Malige, Managing Director, Financial Institutions for the EBRD
· Piyush Agrawal, Chief Risk Officer and Head of Climate Risk at Citi
Closing Thoughts and Thanks
Bridget Fawcett, Chief Strategy Officer Global Co-Head, Sustainability & Corporate Transitions Investment Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory at Citi
Date: 4 November
Time: 10:00-11:00 GMT
Link to the event (see link in tweets below)
- https://twitter.com/EU_Finance/status/1453346571437985798
- https://twitter.com/EU_Finance/status/1453723910533304321
Agenda:
- Keynote speech by Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union, preserving and improving financial stability (5 min)
- Introductory remarks by EIB - Bertrand de Mazières, Director General for Finance (4-5min)
- Opening remarks by Nathan Fabian, Chair of the European Platform on Sustainable Finance & Chief Responsible Investment Officer at the UNPRI (4-5 min)
Panel discussion
José Luis Blasco, Global Sustainability Director, Acciona
Carel Cronenberg, Associate Director, MRV Manager, EBRD
Nadia Humphreys, Business Manager, Sustainable Finance Solutions, at Bloomberg
Elisabetta Siracusa, Principal Advisor for Sustainable Finance, DG FISMA, European Commission
Daming Cheng, Managing Director, Investment Banking Dept., China International Capital Corporation
Moderator: EIB - Peter Munro, Head of Division, Capital Markets Dept., EIB
Date: 4 November
12:15-13:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
This event will bring together MDB, country and civil society speakers to discuss the role of MDBs in supporting a just transition, and opportunities for collaboration. Speakers will introduce the joint MDB work on just transition – including the Common Principles for MDB Support to a Just Transition – and provide country perspectives on just transition challenges and opportunities.
MDB Support for a Just Transition: from Common Principles to policy support and finance will feature following speakers:
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Date: 5 November
Venue: University of Glasgow, University Avenue, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK
For a fifth consecutive year, the EBRD is pleased to be supporting the Climate Law & Governance Day 2021 (CLGD). This year it is focused on “Advancing Legal & Policy Frameworks for Ambition, Obligation & Finance”. The EBRD will participate in expert panels to discuss i) the role of international financial institutions in mobilising public and private sector funding for climate mitigation and adaptation investments and ii) the role of lawyers in reflecting net zero ambitions in structured finance and contractual arrangements across the supply chain. In a plenary session EBRD and the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative will address the importance of building awareness and capacity with boards on climate-related risks and director’s duties to steer companies towards a net zero carbon trajectory. The conference is hosted by the University of Glasgow and the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law and sponsored by EBRD, GCF, ADB, WB and UNDP amongst others.
EBRD representative: General Counsel Michael Strauss and Vesselina Haralampieva
Date: 5 November
12:15-13:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
Under the joint commitment to support countries in aligning with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, MDBs have committed to supporting their clients in developing and implementing their long-term strategies (LTSs) and have developed high-level LTS principles. This event convenes experts, working in the field in countries and internationally, to discuss the role of LTS, challenges that developing countries face in developing robust LTS, and why it requires economy-wide facilitation and cooperation, both in-countries and internationally, in order to achieve the necessary economic transformations for the climate future.
Opening & Moderator
· Stephen Hammer, World Bank
MDB presentation
· Sung Ah Kyun, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Panellists:
· Richard Baron, Executive Director, 2050 Pathways Platform
· Takayoshi Kato, Policy Analyst, Green Growth and Global Relations, OECD
Country representatives
· Carolina Urmeneta, Head of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Chile
· Vineil Narayan, Acting Head of Division and Climate Finance Specialist, Ministry of Economy, Fiji
Private sector representative
- Alzbeta Klein, Director General, International Fertilizer Association
Closing remarks
- Ambroise Fayolle, Vice President, European Investment Bank
Date: 5 November
13:00-14:00
Location: Online
Youth can help mobilise climate finance and their advocacy can play a key role in the magnitude of climate commitments.
This event, organised jointly by the EBRD and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), aims at highlighting the role of youth in climate action. It will discuss why and how climate funds and multilateral development banks must engage youth. It will also showcase youth engagement and inclusion efforts by the EBRD and CIF.
In addition, the CIF will present their consultation note on youth engagement, “Towards a Youth Engagement Strategy (YES)”, developed with feedback from youth groups and climate leaders.
EBRD representative: Barbara Rambousek
Date: 6 November 2021, 12:00-6:30pm
Venue: Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Climate change legislation can play a powerful tool in transforming countries’ climate commitments under their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) into binding legislation to ensure that these can help drive the NDC implementation and bring about the agreed policy objectives. EBRD will participate in an event focusing on “Climate Change Legislation, Litigation and the Rule of Law” to discuss the importance and key elements of an effective legislative framework that translates policy commitments into domestic legislation. The event is organised by the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG), the LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL).
EBRD representative: Vesselina Haralampieva
Programme:
- Opening: Sung-Ah Kyun, Associate Director and lead of Climate Analytics and NDCs, EBRD
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Presentation by Ministry of Environment of Ukraine on its updated NDC and on-going and future plans to implement its NDC
- Presenter: Iryna Stavchuk, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for European Integration
Panel discussion
Moderator: Sung-Ah Kyun, Associate Director and lead of Climate Analytics and NDCs, EBRD
Panellists
- Dmytro Natalukha, MP and Chairman of the Economic Affairs Parliamentary Committee
- Lesia Vasylenko, MP of Environmental Policy and Nature Management Committee
- Iryna Stavchuk, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for European Integration (MoENR)
- Yaroslav Demchenkov, Deputy Minister of Energy (MoE) of Ukraine
- Jan-Willem van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, EBRD
- Hannah Mosleh, Head of Cooperation with Eastern European Countries, Central Asia and South Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, BMU
Closing remarks
- Oleksandr Diachuk (virtual), Lead Researcher Officer, Institute for Economic Forecasting, National Academy of Science (5 min)
- Romeo Bertolini, Deputy Country Engagement Director, NDC Partnership (3 min)
EBRD Representatives
- Jan-Willem van de Ven, Head of Climate Finance and Carbon Markets, EBRD
- Sung-Ah Kyun, Associate Director and lead of Climate Analytics and NDCs, EBRD
Date: 6 November
15:15-16:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
EBRD-FAO joint paper "Accelerating investment towards carbon-neutral agrifood systems"
As the world gears up to fight climate change, agri-food systems are expected to play their part. The sector is increasingly attracting attention as a key area for carbon reduction and curbing emissions is becoming a key global investment and policy theme. This EBRD-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) webinar explores challenges and opportunities in the move to low carbon agri-food systems, as identified through the EBRD and FAO joint study, ‘Carbon neutrality: utopia or the new green wave? Challenges and opportunities for agri-food systems’.
Following this presentation, Director of Agribusiness at EBRD, Natalya Zhukova; Martial Bernoux, Senior Natural Resources Officer from FAO; and speakers from several high profile agribusinesses in the EBRD region will speak about their decarbonisation paths. Join to watch our open discussions about what decarbonisation really means in the agri-food sector.
EBRD representative:
Director of Agribusiness at EBRD, Natalya Zhukova
Acting Director, Green Economy & Climate Action at EBRD, Gianpiero Nacci
Co-organisers: EBRD, IEA, IFA
9 November 2021, 2.00-3.30 PM CET
Location: Virtual
The side-event will present decarbonisation roadmaps for the industry, and examine the changes in technologies and policies needed to realise the transition. Further, it will also highlight the role of banks and other investors in financing the transition.
The fertilizer industry has a significant role to play in supporting global food security and helping farmers increase yields. What is needed to deliver energy efficient solutions?
Agenda
- Welcome by event moderator Alzbeta Klein, Director General of IFA
- Opening remarks: Svein Tore Holsether, President & CEO of Yara International and Chair of IFA
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Presentation of the Ammonia Nitrogen Roadmap:
- Araceli Fernandez Pales, Head of Technology Innovation Unit, IEA
- Gianpiero Nacci, Acting Director, Green Economy and Climate Action, EBRD
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NGO perspective:
- Rebecca Dell, Program Director, Industry at ClimateWorks Foundation
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Low-Carbon Roadmaps and opportunities for governments:
- Ahmed Reda, Chairman of Tech. Centers and Associate Minister of Trade and Industry, Government of Egypt
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A technical perspective (?)
- Blake Adair, Manager Projects, Innovation and Product Development, Nutrien
- Q&A with the audience
- Closing remarks by Alzbeta Klein.
Date: 9 November 2021
15:00- 16:00
Location: SDG7 Pavilion – COP 26 Blue Zone
Energy Efficiency is one of the key pillars for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and for the pathway towards net-zero by 2050.
There is significant potential for energy savings in every aspect of our lives -from the homes we live in, to the places we work, the transport we take, the products we make and the food we eat. And many solutions are ready for scale.
Despite this, global improvements in energy efficiency have been declining since 2015, with only USD $219 billion in 2020, and a lack of finance has remained a key constraint. To achieve SDG 7, it has been estimated that this figure must almost triple to $600 billion annually. While there are stories of success and experiences to be shared, finance is not flowing at the speed and scale necessary to reach SDG 7 target 7.3.
What is needed to walk the last mile and deliver energy efficient solutions?
This session will focus on financial approaches and lessons learned from funding energy efficiency projects and programs globally. Financial institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will discuss key policy issues, institutional capacity, and challenges for unlocking finance in energy efficiency.
Welcome remarks
• Moderator: Steve Kukoda
Opening remarks:
• IEA (Brian Motherway or Mel Slade)
Panel discussion:
• Terry McCallion (EBRD)
• Filippo Berardi (GEF)
• Kavita Sinha (Deputy Director, GCF)
• Tariye Gbadegesin (ARM-Harith)
• Mrs Soraya Sebti (Bank of Africa)
Closing Remarks
• Moderator: Steve Kukoda
Date: 10 November
10:45-11:45
Location: Joint MDB Pavillion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
As climate change impacts become more apparent, the need for systemic climate resilience becomes clearer. Focusing the climate resilience of specific assets or businesses alone is not sufficient. Entire systems of production and critical infrastructure networks need to be made climate resilient. How can the necessary financing be provided? This panel will explore views and needs from different key stakeholders across public and private industries, with particular emphasis on the role of Multilateral Development Banks and global initiatives to advance practical solutions.
EBRD representative: TBC
Accelerating the shift to Electric Mobility
A new GEF supported Global Electric Mobility Programme
Date: Wednesday 10th November 2021
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 GMT
Venue: Hall 5 of the SEC Campus
Livestreamed on GEF Youtube page, please see here.
Purpose
To emphasize the importance of a global switch to zero emissions vehicles fleets for meeting the Paris climate targets;
To emphasize the important role that low- and middle-income countries play in such a switch;
To showcase the new GEF7 global electric mobility programme that aims to support LMICs in electrifying their fleets.
EBRD Representative:
Matthew Jordan Tank, Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Policy and Project Preparation, EBRD
Date: 11 November
12:15-13:15
Location: Joint MDB Pavilion
Livestreamed on EBRD YouTube channel
Cities sit at the vanguard of our global ability to address climate change. While just over half of the world’s population is urban today, more than two-thirds will live in cities by 2050. Simultaneously, cities represent just under three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. The expected, unprecedented growth in urban areas across the globe represents an opportunity to reshape our infrastructure and economies to decouple urban expansion and productivity from emissions and resource consumption.
COP26 represents a moment for all invested parties to increase their climate ambitions as part of the Paris Agreement, with cities being an essential component in that movement. Over the next three decades, all of our systems from the energy we generate, to our food, to our means of transport and the goods we make and consume will need to align under common goals to reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The good news is that many of the technologies and policies needed to achieve the 2050 goals are available today, but finance needs to be mobilized at a global scale to ensure a successful transition to a net-zero and resilient future.
Multilateral Development Banks can play an essential role in mobilising finance to support climate action in cities and realise the goals of the Paris Agreement. This side event will present the actions MDBs are taking to support meaningful investments for urban decarbonisation and resilience across the globe. The event will highlight the collaboration between MDBs, with the public and private sector, and with CSOs to enable impactful change in cities. Last, the event will highlight the investment and impact goals for cities each MDB has agreed to deliver.
The event will include participation of ADB, AfDB, EBRD, EIB, IADB, IFC, ISDB, WB.
EBRD representative:
Nigel Jollands, GECA Associate Director, Lead, Policy Products
Lin O'Grady, Head of PPI G Cities, SI3P Project Prep Implem. & Green Cities
Date: 11 November
15:15-16:15
Location: Side Event Room 2 - Strangford Lough (Armadillo).
Long-term strategies (LTSs) are key to meeting the Paris Agreement objectives as they set out how countries will achieve net zero emissions by a target date, whilst considering climate resilience, just transition and sustainable development.
This event will explore:
• How to address the challenge of mobilizing investment and finance to support clean transitions, with a focus on the emerging and developing world
• How LTSs can help inform market developments for the private sector
• The tools available to countries, companies and organizations to set LTSs and measure the alignment of their investments with the Paris goals.
