Catalysing climate finance to deliver urgent near-term action in Asia and the Pacific

Register here for the second Regional Finance Forum in Bangkok, Thailand (25 August)

With just 75 days until COP27, the second ‘Regional Finance Forum’ will take place in Bangkok tomorrow, 25 August. Its aim is to unleash finance from public and private sectors at the speed and scale needed to enable the transition to a just, decarbonized and resilient world.

The Forum is one of five regional meetings convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the incoming Egyptian Presidency of COP27 and the UN Climate Change High Level Champions for COP26 and COP27. The meetings, that will continue until 20 September, bring together key stakeholders from multiple sectors under the theme “catalyzing climate finance and investment flows to ramp up climate action and advance the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific.”

Confirmed attendees include Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Minister of Economy for Fiji, Sou Socheat, Director General at the SEC Regulator of Cambodia, and Mahmoud Mohieldin, High-Level Champion for Egypt.

The roundtables hosted at the Bangkok based Forum will highlight the need for blended private and public finance. Emphasis will be put on implementation and delivering urgent near-term action to build regional climate resilience, advance the 2030 Agenda, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

An event held by ESCAP, Scaling up investment in climate infrastructure projects through Public Private Partnerships, will showcase how governments’ investment projects are bankable and aligned with their respective national SDG and climate-resilient strategies. It will facilitate discussions from investors, green finance experts, multilateral development banks, and financial institutions on the role of private finance and how to improve the bankability and sustainability of infrastructure project proposals.

The Forum will also showcase success stories of blended finance and spotlight the need for innovative financial solutions for the mitigation and adaptation needs for the region.

The next three Forums will take place in:

• Santiago, Chile (1-2 September) – A forum on climate finance and the energy transition, covering Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Beirut, Lebanon (15 September) – A one-day regional forum on climate finance needs and investment opportunities in Arab States.
• Geneva, Switzerland (20 September) – High-Level Roundtable on ‘enhancing sustainable management and financing for the critical raw materials required for low-carbon transitions’

Read more in the concept note here.