The Interface Dialogue
Finance & Biodiversity

13/12/2022 – IDFB Meeting 15 at COP15 in Montréal!

The fifteenth, and final, session of the IDFB will take place on December 13th 2022 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Montréal. The 15th session will focus on the 10 policy actions of the IDFB paper on finding common ground on the alignment of all financial flows with the goals and targets of the GBF. In this session we will have and great opportunity to meet each other in person and discuss which next steps to take together. We will address questions such as: How can we cooperate to take action on the alignment of all financial flows? What are actions to prioritize in NBFPs? Which tools are available? And, what is needed to further support capacity building? We are looking forward to discussing these questions with you at COP15 and with experts in the room.

To join this event, you can find us at:

Renaissance Montréal Downtown Hotel,
1250 Blvd Robert-Bourassa,
Montréal, QC
H3B 3B8,
Canada

Meeting documents:

• The agenda for the 15th session of the IDFB will soon be available here.
• The results and insights of the 15th IDFB session will be shared here when published.

Presentations

• The presentations from this session will be uploaded here once available. 

22/11/2022 – IDFB Meeting 14

The fourteenth session, and final online session, of the IDFB will take place on November 22nd 2022. The focus of this meeting will be upon practical ways to implement and realise the alignment of all financial flows with the GBF goals and targets. Ms. Saskia de Vries of the NGFS and Mr. Jeremy Eppel of NatureFinance will present during this session. 

Meeting documents:

• The Agenda for the 14th session of the IDFB.
• The results and insights of the 14th IDFB session.

Presentations

• Presentation slides of Saskia de Vries on the role of Central Banks and supervisors in managing nature-related risks.
• Presentation slides of Jeremy Eppel on the tools NatureFinance is developing to support governments in increasing the alignment of global finance with nature. 

25/10/2022 – IDFB Meeting 13

The thirteenth session of the IDFB took place on October 25th 2022. This meeting focused on the current state of the alignment of all financial flows with the goals and targets of the proposed text for the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The main theme was: Where do we stand, and where do we want to go? To answer these central questions. Nathalie Olsen of the UNEP Climate Finance Unit presented the group an update on the most recent State of Finance for Nature report of UNEP, and insights into the current state of financing for Nature-based Solutions. Building on this, Nicolas Poolen, WWF Green Finance Advisor, provided the participants of the session with insights into the steps which can be taken to green financial regulation and supervision.

Meeting documents:

• Agenda for the 13th session of the IDFB.
• Meeting notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 13.

Presentations

• Slides from the presentation of Nicolaas Poolen of the WWF Green Finance Unit will be uploaded here soon.
• Slides from the presentation of Natalie Olsen of the UNEP Climate Finance Unit on the latest State of Finance for Nature: Scaling up finance for nature-based solutions.
   

27/09/2022 – IDFB Meeting 12

The twelfth session of the IDFB, hosted in September 2022, focused on the interplay between National Biodiversity Finance Plans (NBFPs) and the alignment of all financial flows with the GBF. During this meeting, the discussion panel of key experts provided insight into what roles NBFPs can play in advancing the alignment of all financial flows with the goals of the GBF. Numerous initiatives and participants were invited to present their roadmaps and action plans in the lead up to COP 15. 

Meeting documents:

• Agenda of the 12th session of the IDFB.
• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 12. 

Presentations

• Slides on the IDFB’s Roadmap to COP15.
• Slides from Anita de Horde’s presentation on Finance for Biodiversity (FfB) Foundations  actions towards COP15. 
• Slides from the UNDP-BIOFIN presentation of Onno van den Heuvel on Aligning finance flows from the global to local level with the GBF. 

30/08/2022 – IDFB Meeting 11

The eleventh IDFB session was hosted on August 30th, 2022. In this eleventh meeting, the keynote speaker Mr. Andrew Mitchell presented the TNFD and its community, as well as its importance for the GBF. A number of different initiatives also provided updates to the IDFB community during this meeting, including Jeremy Eppel of the F4B Initiative. As part of these updates, these initiatives also shared with the group their planned roadmaps in preparation for the COP15 in December. 

Meeting documents:

• Agenda of the 11th session of the IDFB. 
• Meeting Notes – Results and insights from IDFB 11. 

Presentations

• Presentation slides of Jeremy Eppel (F4B Initiative) – Increasing the Nature Alignment of Global Financial Flows.

30/06/2022 – IDFB Meeting 10

The tenth IDFB session was hosted on June 30th, 2022, following the negotiations on Resource Mobilisation and the Alignment of Financial Flows under the fourth Open-ended Working Group (OWG-4) in Nairobi, Kenya. In this tenth meeting, IDFB participants were invited to reflect on their experiences and impressions of the negotiations, and to identify what they found to be the remaining challenges to overcome in the run up to COP15. 

Meeting documents:

• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 10. 

Presentations

• There are no presentations to be shared from this session.

02/06/2022 – IDFB Meeting 9

The ninth IDFB session was held on June 2nd, 2022. During this hybrid session, participants reflected on current developments on working towards the alignment of all financial flows, and were invited to give comment and feedback on the IDFBs proposed common ground paper. Furthermore, participants discussed the proposition of transitioning the IDFB into a ‘friends of alignment’ group. Participants looked ahead to the negotiations expected in Nairobi and the next steps to be taken in the preparation for IDFB 10.  

Meeting documents:

• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 9. 
• The Proposed outline for the Common Ground paper that is currently being worked on by the IDFB (also available in .ppt format). 

Presentations

• There are no presentations to be shared from this session.

26/04/2022 – IDFB Meeting 8

The eighth IDFB session, hosted on April 26th, 2022, took place in its usual virtual format again. Members reflected on the IDFB 7 session that was hosted in person in Geneva during March 2022, and discussed key-take-aways and next steps. The remainder of the meeting focused on two presentations regarding biodiversity finance by representatives of BIOFIN Mexico and Belize, and the Sustainable Finance Lab. 

Meeting documents:

• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 8.

Presentations

• Presentation on mainstreaming biodiversity in the context of Mexico, presented by Alonso Martinez of BIOFIN Mexico.
• Presentation of the report: From Paris to Kunming: Enabling a Carbon Net Zero and Nature-Positive Financial Sector, presented by Rens van Tilburg of the Sustainable Finance Lab.

19/03/2022 – IDFB Meeting 7

The seventh IDFB session, hosted in March 2022, was the first IDFB session to be held in person since its establishment. The session was hosted in Geneva, and members were able to meet face-to-face to get to know each other and to discuss and exchange ideas on the IDFB Storyline. In this meeting, members also discussed how IDFB and its members can contribute to the development and implementation of the alignment of all financial flows so as to align them with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Finally, members also discussed their ideas on next steps for the development of National Biodiversity Finance Plans (NBFPs). 

Meeting documents:

• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 7

Presentations

• There are no presentations to be shared from this session.

22/02/2022 – IDFB Meeting 6

The sixth IDFB session focused on presenting and discussing the results of the World Bank report: ‘Nature-related Risks for Ministries of Finance’. In this session, Parties discussed how ministries of finance can act in order to better manage and mitigate risks nature and climate related risks within the financial sector. 

Meeting documents:

• Meeting notes – Results and insights of IDFB 6

Presentations

• This presentation offers preliminary insights with regards to the report ‘Nature-related Risks for Ministries of Finance: An Overview’.  
• Greening Sovereign Debt Performance: Shared Risk and Rewards in Financing the Transition (Finance for Biodiversity initiative)
• Towards an Integrated Transition Framework: Managing Risks and Opportunities at the Nature-Climate Nexus (Finance for Biodiversity initiative)

25/01/2022 – IDFB Meeting 5 

The fifth IDFB session had an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning, and featured presentations from several interesting speakers, on a range of topics, including on biodiversity finance initiatives in France, Nepal, Uganda, and South Africa. In addition, Business for Nature presented recent developments related to the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge. In response to previously expressed needs during IDFB sessions, the IDFB launched a new helpline for Parties who are looking for technical and practical knowledge, as well as hands-on experience with regards to finance and biodiversity.

Meeting documents:

• Meeting Notes – Results and Insights from IDFB 5

Presentations

• Presentation on new French legislation “29-LEC”; providing extensive details on expected disclosures from financial institutions across both biodiversity and climate.
• Presentation on how the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment of South Africa is on the road towards finalising its National Biodiversity Finance Plan (NBFP).
• Presentation on the Implementation of the Nepalese National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP)
• Presentation on The Finance for Biodiversity Foundation and the new position paper: “Aligning financial flows with biodiversity goals and targets”.

09/12/2021 – IDFB Meeting 4

This fourth IDFB session established a link to the CBD Secretariat workshop on Aligning Financial Flows with the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. During the G20 meeting and the online CBD Secretariat workshop, there was a discussion on the need to find a way for Parties to engage in informal knowledge sharing. The importance of this in translating progress on the topic of financial alignment into the design of a strong Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was stressed.

Meeting documents:

• Meeting notes – Combined results and insights of IDFB 3 & 4

07/12/2021 – IDFB Meeting 3

The third IDFB session focused on the contribution to the G20 meeting of Environmental Deputies on strengthening the biodiversity finance agenda in the G20 and in the Finance in Common process.

Meeting documents:

• Meeting notes – Combined results and insights of IDFB 3 & 4

26/10/2021 – IDFB Meeting 2

The second IDFB session focused on reflecting on relevant finance and biodiversity webinars organized in October 2021 by Finance in Common, the OECD, and the EU Business and Biodiversity Platform.

Meeting documents:

• Meeting notes – Combined results and insights of IDFB 2

21/09/2021 – IDFB Meeting 1

The first session of the IDFB was held in September of 2021. This first IDFB session focused on how the mobilizing private funds with public money can be achieved in order to decrease the funding for nature and biodiversity gap; whilst th important role of public banks for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was also discussed by Parties.

Meeting documents:

• Meeting notes – Combined results and insights of IDFB 1