What? "Panel Discussion: Financing Nature to Build Resilient Communities and Economies"
Who? Natural Resource Management and Investment Centre of the African Development Bank Group, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), World Resources Institute (WRI), Cities4Forests, World Bank Group, Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR), Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), Caterpillar Foundation
When? Wednesday 16 November 2022 (International Day), 17:00-18:30 Egyp. Time (UTC+2)
Where? Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Joint Pavilion, Area C, COP27, Sharm el-Sheikh
To mark the COP27 Day for Biodiversity on 16 November 2022, the African Development Bank Group's African Natural Resource Management and Investment Centre, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other partners will organize a panel discussion on the theme: "Financing Nature to Build Resilient Communities and Economies".
To mark the occasion, a new report entitled "Waterways to resilience: Natural based-solutions for adaptation in Africa" will be launched. Developed by the African Development Bank and the WWF, this publication examines nature-based solutions for climate adaptation that can help African countries build resilience.
It assesses the opportunities for nature-based solutions in Africa in relation to the continent's natural resources and infrastructure investments. It also presents innovative financing mechanisms in this area to help solve the climate-nature-debt crisis.
The session will first results of a study on Nature-based solutions for water conservation and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa. The study, conducted in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, Cities for Forests, the Green Growth Knowledge Platform and GIZ (German cooperation), was recently published.
To further highlight the pragmatism of Nature-based Solutions and their real added value in the fight against climate change and the preservation of natural resources, four imminent projects will also be detailed, which rely on nature-based solutions to secure freshwater resources in Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, and South Africa. WWF is currently working to finalize these, together with the Global Centre for Adaptation.
During the programme another joint AfDB-WWF report on Debt for nature swaps in Africa's natural resources sector will be discussed.
African Development Bank Director of the African Natural Resource Management and Investment Centre Vanessa Ushie, and Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, Director of the AfDB's Climate Change and Green Growth Department, will attend, together with Joanna Mclean Masic, a World Bank expert on urban planning. Other participants include Nisha Krishnan, Director for Climate, Africa, at the World Resources Institute (WRI); Eric Oyare, initiator of the Blue Heart of Africa; Stuart Orr and WWF Freshwater Practice Leader. Innocent Onah, Chief Natural Resources Officer at the African natural resources management and investment Centre, will moderate the discussions.
The event promises to be a major rallying point for multilateral development banks on the importance of biodiversity and the need to integrate natural capital into climate finance and development finance in Africa.
You can follow the event live online
It will also be streamed live on social networks, on YouTube and Facebook.
Panelists Bios
Dr. Vanessa Ushie
Ag. Director, African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre, AfDB
Dr. Vanessa USHIE is the Acting Director of the African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre (ANRC) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). She manages the Centre's Policy Analysis Division. The Centre provides knowledge, policy advice and investment solutions to the Bank's Regional Member Countries to harness their natural resources for sustainable development. Vanessa holds a PhD in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, United Kingdom.
Biography
Dr. Al-Hamdou Dorsouma
OIC Director, AfDB
Al-Hamndou Dorsouma is currently the Ag. Director and Manager for Climate and Green Growth Division within the African Development Bank. He is responsible for managing a team of Climate Change and Growth Officers and leading Bank's efforts on climate change in Africa, including building climate resilience and low carbon opportunities into Bank's investments, and supporting Bank's engagement on climate resilience and green growth.
Biography
Joanna Masic
Global Lead for the Sustainable City Infrastructure and Services and Lead Urban Specialist (Cities and Climate Change), World Bank
Joanna Masic is the Global Lead for the Sustainable City Infrastructure and Services and Lead Urban Specialist (Cities and Climate Change) at the World Bank. Ms. Masic has over 20 years' experience managing municipal infrastructure lending, grants and advisory services across Asia and Europe. She has worked for the World Bank, Asian Development, UK Department for International Development, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, and the private sector.
Biography
Staurt Orr
Leader of WWF's Freshwater Practice
Stuart Orr is the Leader of WWF's Freshwater Practice at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). He has spent his career devising and testing innovative approaches to freshwater conservation by engaging business and finance, and focussing on emerging themes such as the water-food-energy nexus, economic incentives, bankable financing and water-related risk. He has written numerous scientific papers and publications on issues ranging from corporate water governance to fish protein. He serves on a number of advisory councils and non-profit boards as well as supporting conservation projects in over 40 countries.
Biography
Dr. Nisha Krishnan
Director for Climate, Africa, WRI
As the Director for Climate, Africa, Nisha leads a team that is focused on advancing policy and practice on climate action, adaptation, and loss and damage for our regional team. Her work focuses on advancing research and practice to integrate climate risks, adaptation, and resilience into public and private decision-making processes, improving adaptation finance, locally led adaptation and finance on the continent, and working with community organizations and African civil society to support climate diplomacy.
Biography
Eric Oyare
Leader of WWF - Blue Heart of Africa Initiative
Eric Oyare is the Leader of WWF - Blue Heart of Africa Initiative, responsible for providing Freshwater technical programme development, business development, advocacy and communication support to 10 Country Offices and 7 transboundary landscapes where WWF implements Water Resources Management in Africa. For over 18 years, Eric has worked with organisations including WWF, Plan International, Gatsby Trust, ActionAid, Youth Enterprise Development Fund and UN Women.
Biography
Dr. Innocent Onah
Chief Natural Resources Officer, AfDB
Dr. Innocent Onah is a Sustainability Expert with special interest in the intersection between public policy, governance of natural resources, climate change, and green growth. He currently the Chief Natural Resources Officer at the African Development Bank where he is playing a lead role in integrated natural resource management and climate change.
Biography
