Index to Sessions

Click on links to access each forum session, with presentations and biographies

Day 1

Opening:

● Opening plenary

Session 1:

● Setting the scene: Understanding “climate-resilient infrastructure” in the context of the broader global infrastructure landscape

Session 2:

● Infrastructure investment trends and the investment gap

Session 3:

● Special segment - Infrastructure investment in the context of Article 2 of the Paris Agreement

Session 4:

● Barriers to climate-resilient infrastructure financing

Session 5:

● Report back from Session 4

Day 2

Opening:

● Recap of Day 1 and setting the stage for the Day 2

Session 6:

● Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities related to mobilizing financing for climate-resilient infrastructure

Session 7:

● Parallel Plenaries: Part I - Improving Risk Information and assessment and screening public sector infrastructure finance

Session 8:

● Parallel Plenaries: Part II - Strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities

Session 9:

● Parallel Plenaries: Part III - Transforming the financial system

Session 10:

● Reflections on key outcomes and conclusions of the entire forum

Closing:

● Closure of the forum

8:30 – 9:00

Registration

Opening

Opening plenary
Welcoming participants and opening the forum

9:00 – 9:30

Welcoming remarks and keynote statements by

• Bernarditas Muller
  Co-Chair, Standing Committee on Finance

• H.E. Mezouar Salaheddine
  President of COP 22, Morocco

• H.E. Mohamed Boussaid
  Minister of Economy and Finance, Morocco (tbc)

• H.E. Nezha El Ouafi
  State Secretary in charge of Sustainable Development, Morocco

• Jorge Borrego
  Deputy Secretary General, Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean

Session 1

Setting the scene
Understanding “climate-resilient infrastructure” in the context of the broader global infrastructure landscape

9:30 – 10:30

Session aims: This session will set the scene for day 1 of the forum. It will look at dimensions of infrastructure and at definitions of climate-resilient infrastructure, including links to disaster risk reduction and the sustainable development agenda/goals. Financial characteristics of sustainable/resilient infrastructure and the management of climate risk in the infrastructure lifecycle (planning, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance) will also be discussed.

Presenter

• Marie-Alexandra Veilleux-Laborie 
  Director (Morocco), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
   Investing in Climate Resilient Infrastructure (3052 kB)

Panelists

• Marie-Alexandra Veilleux-Laborie 

• Drazen Kucan 
  Senior Urban Development and Energy Efficiency Specialist, GCF Secretariat

• Fareeha Iqbal 
  Senior Climate Change Specialist, Global Environment Facility Secretariat

Session 2

Infrastructure investment trends and the investment gap

10:30 – 11:30

Session aims: This session will discuss current investment levels, including drivers of demand by type of economy and across different sectors, and supply of finance. It will also provide an overview of estimated future spatial and sectoral financing needs. Causes of the investment gap and alternative sources for resilient infrastructure investment will also be explored.

Presenters

• Katharina Schneider-Roos
  CEO, Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation
   Infrastructure Financing: the Role of Sustainability and Resilience (591 kB)

• Paul Oquist Kelley 
  Minister, Nicaragua, and SCF member
  - Alternative sources for resilient infrastructure investment and climate finance
   Presentation (2874 kB)

Intervention by

• Linus Mofor 
  Senior Environmental Affairs Officer, Africa Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
  – Reflections based on a regional perspective
   Response to Session 2 presentations (459 kB)
   Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility (AFRI-RES) (1038 kB)

Session 3

Special segment
infrastructure investment in the context of Article 2 of the Paris Agreement

11:45 – 13:00

Session aims: This special segment will briefly explore synergies between infrastructure systems and the opportunities to tackle climate change adaptation and mitigation simultaneously (LCR infrastructure) and review an example of an LCR infrastructure project that is taking an integrated approach to advancing the multiple aims expressed in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement. It will also discuss how fundamental price distortions can be tackled.
 

Presenters

• Darius Nassiry 
  Senior Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute
  – Low-carbon and climate-resilient (LCR) Infrastructure & Tackling fundamental price distortions
   Mobilizing Finance for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure (1987 kB)

• Dhekra Gharbi
  Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment, Tunisia
  – The Rehabilitation of the Lake Bizerte (a project labelled for the Union for the Mediterranean)

Session 4

Barriers to climate-resilient infrastructure financing

14:00 – 16:00

Session aims: A range of barriers exist for financing climate-resilient infrastructure. Those barriers include unfavourable banking/insurance/investment regulations and policies, including uncertainty around tax policies, policies that create market distortions, or financial sector regulations related to capital adequacy or investment limits. Further challenges are a lack of bankable/insurable/investable projects, inadequate risk-adjusted returns, and a lack of viable funding and business models, or high transaction costs.

Session 4 will explore barriers to financing climate-resilient infrastructure across the following areas:

• Strategic planning and programming

• Policies and enabling environments

• Project preparation and technical design

• Financial structuring

Presentation followed by breakout groups

Presenter

• James Close 
  Director, Climate Change, World Bank
   Barriers to Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Financing (1389 kB)

Session 5

Report back from Session 4

16:15 – 17:15

Session aims: Facilitators of the breakout groups will report the main results of the discussions in their respective groups, followed by a plenary discussion which will provide space for questions and clarifications.

Reports from breakout groups:
 Station 1: Strategic planning and programming (356 kB)
 Station 2: Policies and enabling environments (486 kB)
 Station 3: Project preparation and technical design (397 kB)
 Station 4: Financial structuring (398 kB)

17:15– 18:00

Wrap-up of Day 1

Opening

Recap of Day 1 and setting the stage for the Day 2

9:00 – 9:30

Plenary discussion

Session 6

Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities related to mobilizing financing for climate-resilient infrastructure

9:30 – 10:15

Session aims: This session will set the scene for day 2 and focus on key areas for action that will be further discussed in the subsequent sessions, namely improving climate risk information and assessment to support decision-making across different sectors and government levels, strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities to deliver the right policies and enabling conditions for financing and to build pipelines of bankable, insurable or investable projects, and transforming the financial system.

Presenters

• Michael Mullan 
  Team Leader Climate Change Adaptation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
   Climate-Resilient Infrastructure (336 kB)

• Jessica Williams 
  Environmental and Climate Risk Research Analyst, S&P Global
   The Green Evaluation (1435 kB)

Session 7

Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities: Part I
Improving Risk Information and assessment and screening public sector infrastructure finance

10:30 – 12:00

Session aims: Climate-related information is a prerequisite for taking decisions on infrastructure resilience. Public actors can facilitate investments in climate-resilient infrastructure by increasing the availability and accessibility of data on projected climate hazards, raising awareness, and strengthening the capacities of relevant stakeholders to use climate data and projections and to understand and manage interdependencies of infrastructure assets.

In this regard, Session 7 aims to provide best practices and lessons learned with regard to improving risk information and assessment to support decision-making across different sectors and communicating this information to stakeholders. Through case studies and plenary discussions, it will, inter alia, discuss tools to understand infrastructure exposure, and measures to improve the understanding of interdependencies of infrastructure assets. The session also focuses on screening of public sector infrastructure finance to ensure that climate risks are addressed in infrastructure projects.

Parallel Plenaries

Parallel plenary 1

• Manuel Orlando Quinteros Aguilar 
  Minister of Public Works, El Salvador
  – Increasing the fiscal and physical resilience of infrastructure
   La resiliencia de la vida, resiliencia física y financiera-fiscal: Un desafío global (5679 kB)
   Resilience for life, physical and fiscal-financial resilience (6123 kB)

• Anvar Homidov 
  Chief Technical Adviser, Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience Secretariat, Tajikistan
  Craig Davies 
  Head of Climate Resilience Investments, EBRD
  – Hydropower sector case study
   Climate Resilient Hydropower(1014 kB)

• Bill Girling 
  Senior Analyst, International Hydropower Association (IHA)
   Assessment of climate-resilient hydropower (2629 kB)

Parallel plenary 2

• Alfredo Redondo 
  Manager, Climate Change Risk Assessment Network - C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
  – C40’s Climate Change Risk Assessment Network
   Why Adaptation is important(1157 kB)

•  C40 Infrastructure Interdependencies + Climate Risks Report (13615 kB)

• Senad Smajlovic
  Sector of Maintenance, Protection and Traffic Safety, ‘Ceste’, Road Directorate of the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina
  James Falzon 
  Associate, Energy Efficiency & Climate Change, EBRD
  – Road sector case study
   Investing in Climate Resilient Road Infrastructure (778 kB)

• Martina Dorigo 
  Program Analyst, Adaptation Fund Board Secretariat
  – The work of the Adaptation Fund in enhancing climate risk information and assessment
   Enhancing Climate Risk Information and Assessment (745 kB)

Session 8

Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities: Part II
Strengthening policy and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities

13:00 – 14:30

Session aims: Policy and regulatory frameworks as well as institutional capacities are key to delivering enabling conditions for financing climate-resilient infrastructure. Improving institutional functions, such as financial planning and policy, allocating resources, and implementing financing, is vital in this regard. Technical standards can also play an important role in facilitating financing in climate-resilient infrastructure.

Through case studies and plenary discussions, session 8 aims to showcase best practices and lessons learned with regard to putting in place clear national, sub-national and sectoral development strategies with accompanying infrastructure and financing plans, building capacities for project appraisal and preparation to ensure scarce resources are allocated efficiently and effectively, improving institutional and regulatory frameworks for PPPs, and securing the right finance at the right stage of infrastructure projects. In addition, the session will look at technical standards contributing to the technical definition of climate-resilient infrastructure.

Parallel Plenaries

Parallel plenary 1

• Saffrey Brown 
  General Manager, JN Foundation
  – Demonstrating the market for greater water efficiency and promoting the integration of water adaptation measures into new homes in Jamaica, to foster new business opportunities and to support entrepreneurship in private solutions for climate resilience
   Financing Water Adaptation in Jamaica’s New Urban Housing Sector (640 kB)

• Abdellatif Lhouaoui
  Finance and Accounting Manager, Ports National Agency, Morocco
  David Allan 
  Principal Banker (Transport), EBRD
  – Port sector case study
   Climate Resilient Ports (926 kB)
   Adaptation des infrastructures portuaires aux changements climatiques (952 kB)

• Jan Brooke 
  Mentor, EnviCom Working Group 178, World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC)
  – PIANC’s technical guidance on climate change adaptation for maritime and inland port and navigation infrastructure
   Technical good practice guidance on climate change adaptation for port and inland navigation infrastructure (344 kB)

• James Close 
  Director, Climate Change, World Bank
  – Climate Risks and Resilience in Infrastructure PPPs
   Strengthening Policy and Regulatory Frameworks: Best Practices, Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Climate Resilient Infrastructures (654 kB)

Parallel plenary 2

• Samar Zaina
  Head of project planning section at Jericho Municipality
  – The Urban Project Finance Initiative

• Drazen Kucan 
  Senior Urban Development and Energy Efficiency Specialist, Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat
   Transformative Infrastructure and Economic Resiliency Puzzle(1520 kB)

• Timothy Afful-Koomson 
  Principal Green Growth Officer, African Development Bank
   Strengthening policy, regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities for Climate Resilient Infrastructure in Africa.(1357 kB)

• Bill Girling 
  Senior Analyst, International Hydropower Association (IHA)
  – IHA’s technical guidance for hydropower sector
   Climate resilience for hydropower (1725 kB)

Session 9

Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities: Part III
Transforming the financial system

14:45 – 16:15

Session aims: Given the huge financing gap, mobilizing private finance will be crucial for scaling-up lending, insurance, and investment for climate-resilient infrastructure. Through case studies and plenary discussions, Session 9 will discuss metrics and measurement approaches for assessing climate risks as well as standards and tools for integrating resilience criteria into infrastructure finance.
Finally, the session will explore new or innovative financial instruments and green banking, insurance and investment policies that help mobilize or reallocate finance to climate-resilient infrastructure.
 

Parallel Plenaries

Parallel plenary 1

• Craig Davies 
  Head of Climate Resilience Investments, EBRD
  – Emerging work by financing institutions on climate resilience results metrics

•  Emerging work by financing institutions on climate resilience results metrics (439 kB)

• Rida Haimar 
  Moroccan Insurance and Social Welfare Supervisory Authority (ACAPS)
   The importance of insurance regulation in building a resilient society (831 kB)

• Katharina Schneider-Roos
  CEO, Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation
  – The SuRe Standard
   Introduction to SURE - the standard for sustainable and resilient infrastructure (1073 kB)

Parallel plenary 2

• John Firth 
  CEO and Co-founder, Acclimatise
  – The Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment (GARI) Working Group’s work on climate risk screening for infrastructure and risk metrics
   GARI Working Group: Climate Risk Screening for Infrastructure & Risk Metrics (277 kB)

• Jessica Williams 
  S&P Global
  – S&P Global’s Green Evaluation Analytical Approach
   Best practices, lessons learned and opportunities (591 kB)

• Kwangchul Ji 
  Director, Green Climate Policy Division, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Republic of Korea
  - Financing climate-resilient infrastructure in Korea
   Green Finance in Korea (128 kB)

Session 10

Reflections on key outcomes and conclusions of the entire forum

16:15 – 17:00

Session aims: This session provides space for participants to reflect on and sum up the key outcomes and conclusions of the two-days and to identify key areas for action.

Panel discussion followed by plenary discussion

Panelists:

• Kulthoum Motsumi
  Coordinator, Africa Adaptation Initiative
   Enhancing action on adaptation and addressing loss and damage in Africa(351 kB)

• Craig Davies
  Head of Climate Resilience Investments, EBRD 

• Katharina Schneider-Roos
  CEO, Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation

• Alfredo Redondo
  Manager, Climate Change Risk Assessment Network - C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group 

Closing

Closure of the forum

17:00 – 17:30

Closing remarks by:

• Patricia Espinosa
  UNFCCC Executive Secretary

• H.E. Nezha El Ouafi
  State Secretary in charge of Sustainable Development, Morocco

• H.E. Amb. Fathallah Sijilmassi
  Secretary General, Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean

• Bernarditas Muller
  Co-Chair, Standing Committee on Finance