The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP28 – will be held this year in UAE bringing together world leaders and ministers, along with climate activists, civil society representatives and influential members of the private sector to deliver on issues critical to tackling the climate emergency and deliver on the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement.
We will bring to the attention of policymakers the progress being made by UNEP FI’s members as they develop the tools and guidance to decarbonize their businesses and implementing the commitments they have made. Pushing for an equitable transition to a 1.5°C world, UNEP FI will launch the first net-zero alliance for public finance providers, the UN-convened Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance and release a roadmap for banks and insurers implementing a just transition. UNEP FI will spotlight the progress that financial institutions are making in integrating nature into the heart of their financial decision-making, promote new target-setting guidance for the banking industry on nature and adaptation and much, much more.
Watch updates from UNEP FI at COP28 – Day 2 | Day 4 | Day 6 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11
Events calendar: 1 Dec | 3 Dec | 4 Dec | 5 Dec | 6 Dec | 7 Dec | 9 Dec | 10 Dec
All times are in Gulf Standard Time (GST)
1 December
Resilient People, Resilient States: Strategies to strengthen climate resilience and amplify sustainable insurance – An event to launch the US National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Climate Resilience Strategy and advance sustainable insurance
Time: 15:00 – 16:00
Location: Climate Registry Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
This session, co-hosted by the UNEP Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative and the California Department of Insurance, will feature the launch of the US National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Climate Resilience Strategy and bring together regulators, policymakers, leaders in the insurance industry and the UN for a wide-ranging global discussion on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Speakers will include Butch Bacani, Programme Leader, UNEP PSI, Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner, California Department of Insurance, Lesley Ndlovu, CEO of African Risk Capacity and Jean-François Tremblay, Canada’s Deputy Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
3 December
Thirty Months On: Assessing Progress and Prospects of the Nairobi Declaration for Sustainable Insurance
Time: 08:30 – 09:30
Location: CARICOM Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
This high-level discussion will reflect on the progress and prospects of the Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance (NDSI); in particular, the NDSI’s ambition to see Africa’s biggest ESG and climate-related risks addressed by its biggest risk managers. The session is hosted by NDSI in conjunction with the “Risk Pool Programme”, a collaboration between the African Risk Capacity (ARC), Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), and Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC). Speakers include Butch Bacani, PSI Programme Leader; Philip Lopokoiyit, CEO, ICEA Lion; Patty Karuiahe-Martin, Managing Director, NamibRe; Lesley Ndlovu, CEO, African Risk Capacity; and Kelvin Massingham, Director of Risk & Resilience, FSD Africa.
Just Transition in action: The role of finance
Time: 09:30 – 10:20
Location: ILO / EU Just Transition Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
The ILO and UNEP FI are launching a report “Just Transition Finance – Pathways for Banking and Insurance Activities”, which addresses the rationale for financial institutions to embrace a Just Transition, and highlights the approaches that banks and insurance companies can adopt to take concrete action. The session will be enriched by a panel offering a range of perspectives, including private sector finance, country in transition, and development partners. Watch the recording here.
How transition finance underpins our net-zero future, hosted by the UN-convened Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF)
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Location: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation not required.
Launched in December 2016, the UNDP-convened Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF) is the global network of insurance supervisors and regulators working together on sustainability challenges facing the insurance sector. Hosted by SIF, this COP28 side event on key themes in transition finance will convene leaders from the public and private sectors for a high-level dialogue, delving into the financial solutions, products and architecture required to support the achievement of net-zero targets while maintaining social and economic balance. Speakers include Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner; Daniel Wang, Executive Director for Insurance, Monetary Authority of Singapore and Chair, SIF (also Chair, Climate Risk Steering Group, International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS); Ian Johnston, CEO, Dubai Financial Services Authority; and Claudine Blamey, Group Director of Sustainability, Aviva.
Signing ceremony: New signatories of the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA)
Time: 17:30 – 18:15
Location: UNEP Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
UNEP FI will host a signing ceremony for new Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) signatories at COP 28. Join the event to welcome seven new signatory banks as they take this important step towards aligning their activities with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
4 December
UNEP FI members’ COP28 briefing
Time: 07:45 – 09:15
Attendance: For members of UNEP FI, NZBA and NZAOA only
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation not required.
Barclays hosts UNEP FI, NZBA and NZAOA members as they navigate the COP28 process. Find out more about key topics that are under discussion and negotiation, and how they relate to private finance. UNEP FI will provide information about our activities over the conference and members can share information about their activities. There will be time for informal discussion and networking.
Tackling the true cost of financing adaptation: Insights from the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2023 and what it means for the financial sector
Time: 10:30 – 11:15
Location: UNEP Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
The 2023 UNEP Adaptation Gap report includes a review and assessment of the costs of adaptation for all developing countries. In this panel session, experts will present and discuss new financial data and analysis from this year’s Adaptation Gap Report. The session will bring leading thinkers together from the scientific community, with representatives of the development and private finance communities to highlight the challenges we are facing from a changing climate and how the global finance sector can respond systematically to the Paris Agreement’s Article 2.1(c) to make global financial flows ‘climate-resilient’.
Launch of the Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance
Time: 13:30 – 14:00
Location: ADGM stage in the Green Zone (Energy Hub)
Accreditation: Green Zone registration required.
Join us for the launch of the alliance including high-level key-note speakers from leading export credit agencies, Inger Andersen UNEP Executive Director and Mark Carney, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Co-Chair for the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero. Event is free to attend but registration required for the Green Zone.
The role of the insurance sector in climate adaptation
Time: 16:30 – 18:00
Location: German Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
Hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), this session will focus on how insurance companies and insurance regulators and supervisors can contribute to climate change adaptation and close the protection gap. Participants will come from both the public and the private sectors, discussing how the insurance sector can supporting risk prevention and adaptation to climate risks, and how to invest in the sustainable transformation of our economies. With this event, BMF continues the conversation of a previous panel on the insurance sector at COP26. Speakers include Dr Florian Toncar, Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Finance; Butch Bacani, PSI Programme Leader; Guenther Thallinger, Member of the Board of Management, Allianz; and Pamela Schuermans, Principal Expert on Insurance Policy, European Insurance & Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). Watch the recording here.
The financial system and the quest for net-zero
Time: 16:45
Location: UNEP Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
UNEP FI and the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) will host a session to raise awareness on the use of climate scenarios to decarbonize the finance sector and reach net zero. The session will focus on understanding the audience’s perception and knowledge of climate scenarios, followed by presentations on on a specific themes such as NGFS climate scenarios, climate science, and the application of NGFS scenarios by financial users. This will be followed by a Q&A session with the presenters.
Climate leadership in export finance
Time: 17:45 – 18:45
Location: UK Pavilion in the (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
A panel event of CEOs from the Net-Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance discussing the role of export credit agencies in aligning financial flows to the Paris Agreement and encouraging further collaboration in export finance. Event is free to attend for those with Blue Zone accreditation.
5 December
Enabling and scaling transition finance
Time: 08:00 – 09:30
Location: Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina Hotel
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation not required.
The net zero transition is estimated to require additional investment of approximately US$ 4trillion per year. What can banks do to scale transition finance while managing progress against net zero targets? Join Oliver Wyman and the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) to explore how transition finance can be measured and scaled. Speakers will include James Close, Head of Climate, Natwest and Tomo Ishikawa, Chief Regulatory Engagement Officer, MUFG.
How can the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) support your journey to net zero?
Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Location: First Abu Dhabi Bank Pavilion, Climate Finance Hub (Green Zone)
Accreditation: Green Zone accreditation required.
Join discussions on how the PRB and NZBA can support the journey to net zero, with opening remarks from the Group CEO of First Abu Dhabi Bank and Eric Usher, Head of UNEP FI. Members will share how these important frameworks have helped them set targets, providing examples of how they are innovating to meet their commitments, and how they are contributing to the systemic changes required to solve the climate emergency. Speakers include: Toni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business, BBVA and Masayuki Takanashi, Chief Sustainability Officer, SMBC. You need Green Zone accreditation to access this venue.
Investor Agenda: Accelerating and scaling up investor climate action to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals
Time: 15:00 –16:30
Location: SE Room 2 (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
To achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals, investors are setting net zero targets, laying out Investor Climate Action Plans (ICAPs), and engaging with companies and governments. This event, organised by the Investor Agenda, focuses on the policies and frameworks needed for investors to drive a just transition to a net-zero economy. To attend the event in person you must have a Blue Zone pass, we will provide the live streaming details in due course.
6 December
Sustainable Finance Forum: Accelerating finance towards a nature-positive, net-zero, and equitable global economy
Time: 09:00 – 17:30
Location: Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre, Dubai
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation not required.
The Sustainable Finance Forum will be held on 6 December in the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre, Dubai, UAE. Hosted by Climate Action, the PRI, and UNEP FI, this event will be one of the biggest platforms for open dialogue with the finance sector held alongside COP28. Watch the recordings here.
Why do self-interested companies give their vendors climate insurance? Insights from the PSI-managed V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility
Time: 13:30 – 14:30
Location: Sri Lanka Pavilion, Blue Zone
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are generally unprepared for extreme weather, which creates costs to larger companies that rely on them to produce or sell goods, and/or repay loans. Insurance solutions are ready and now it’s a business decision for companies about protecting their supply chains. Co-hosted by the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Ministers of Finance (V20) and the PSI, this session will discuss how banks, manufacturing firms, and other companies are making that decision with examples from the PSI-managed V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility followed by a discussion with global insurance brokers. Speakers include Brandon Mathews, Global Coordinator – V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility, PSI; Sara Jane Ahmed, Global Lead & Finance Advisor, V20; Francis Bouchard, Managing Director – Climate, Marsh McLennan; Dominic Probyn, Director – Data & Analytics Services, Aon; and Viktoria Seifert, Director, Disaster Risk Finance & Parametrics, WTW.
7 December
UNEP FI members’ COP28 briefing
Time: 10:00 – 11:00
Attendance: For members of UNEP FI, NZBA and NZAOA only
Accreditation: Green Zone accreditation required. Find out more about Green Zone accreditation here.
First Abu Dhabi Bank will host UNEP FI, NZBA and NZAOA members to help them navigate the COP28 process. Learn about key topics under discussion and negotiation, and how they relate to private finance. UNEP FI will provide information about its activities over the conference, and members can share information about theirs. The meeting will provide time for informal discussion and networking. Green Zone accreditation is required to attend this briefing.
9 December
Nature Positive for Climate Action: Building momentum for delivery and celebrating global voices of leadership
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Location: Conference Connect Auditorium, Green Zone
Accreditation: Green Zone accreditation required.
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The COP28 Presidency, in partnership with the Climate Champions Team and Global Commons Alliance, has supported the mobilization of non-state actors, including corporates and financial institutions, urging them to advance their climate objectives by accelerating the conservation, restoration, and protection of nature through the Nature Positive for Climate Action effort. This high-level event will bring together leaders across a range of sectors to discuss their journey to a net zero and nature positive future. Speakers will include Butch Bacani, Programme Leader, UNEP PSI presenting on UNEP FI’s work on nature, including the PSI briefing paper on nature-positive insurance that was launched recently. |
10 December
Global green deal: How does it it fit the global south? How can the agroecology transition play a role in it?
Time: 10:30 – 11:30
Location: Trade House Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
As many countries design their trade measures to address the climate goals, which will likely impact the global trade, it is imperative to understand their impacts in sectors such as agriculture and food and assess the participation of key actors. To secure the delivery of a low carbon future, producer organisations, smallholder farmers and communities cannot be left behind. Farmers are experiencing the changes brought in by climate change which leave them vulnerable, but they are also already providing sustainable and inclusive solutions to transform the agri-food systems. With the paramount challenges that climate change poses to the agriculture sector, this session, co-hosted by UNEP, the International Trade Centre, and Fairtrade International, will discuss the role that trade can and should play to promote social and economic development and help deliver a just and inclusive agroecology transition. Speakers include Butch Bacani, PSI Programme Leader, who will share insights on the aims of the PSI-managed V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility for MSMEs and UNEP’s work on economic and trade policy. Watch the recording here.
Sustainable Food System Investment: Accelerating public-private partnerships
Time: 17:45 – 18:30
Location: UK Pavilion (Blue Zone)
Accreditation: Blue Zone accreditation required. UNEP FI cannot provide accreditation.
The UK Government, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Good Food Finance Network, is hosting an event that aims to highlight and facilitate the integration of public-private finance into sustainable food systems. The agenda includes presentations and breakout sessions to discuss cross-sector partnerships focused on two UNFCCC climate champion priority themes: regenerative landscapes and blue food. The event will showcase successful public-private partnerships, connecting policymakers with project opportunities and financial institutions, and will be attended by NGOs, private sector investors, country officials, and policymakers.