8th GLF Investment Case Symposium: What we learned – ThinkLandscape

Report on the 8th Investment Case Symposium at COP30

Introduction: Aligning Finance with Sustainable Development Goals

The 8th Investment Case Symposium, convened by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, addressed the critical challenge of financing sustainable development. With over 4,000 participants from 147 countries, the event focused on mobilizing capital to support nature and communities, directly contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). This report summarizes the key initiatives, financial innovations, and strategic discussions from the symposium.

Major Financial Initiatives for Climate and Biodiversity Goals

The symposium highlighted a consensus on the need for an evolution in global finance to address planetary challenges. Major commitments were announced to scale up funding for integrated climate and nature solutions, aligning with multiple SDGs.

Government of Luxembourg’s Commitments

The government of Luxembourg announced two significant initiatives aimed at accelerating sustainable investment:

• Climate Nexus Investment Program: A five-year, EUR 320 million program designed to integrate climate, nature, community, science, and finance. This initiative directly supports SDG 13 and SDG 15 by adopting a holistic approach to a sustainable transition.
• Rio Changemakers Initiative: A global marketplace, co-developed with the GLF, that uses Artificial Intelligence to connect investors with community-led projects. By aiming to channel finance to local actors, this platform addresses the funding gap and promotes SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF)

The host nation of COP30, Brazil, presented the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a USD 125 billion fund. The facility’s objective is to invest in emerging markets and use the returns to reward countries with low deforestation rates. This mechanism is designed to complement existing funding streams and directly contributes to:

1. SDG 15 (Life on Land): By creating a financial incentive to preserve standing forests.
2. SDG 13 (Climate Action): By mitigating a primary driver of climate change.
3. SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): By establishing a large-scale, international financial partnership for conservation.

Empowering Local Communities through Innovative Finance

A central theme was the necessity of channeling funds to smallholders and local communities, who are on the frontlines of climate change. Discussions focused on innovative financial models that enhance economic resilience and promote sustainable practices, contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

Evolving Financial Instruments for Smallholders

Panelists noted a shift in financing mechanisms available to smallholders. While traditional methods remain, new instruments are enabling greater scale and impact:

• Supply Chain Finance: Buyers of smallholder products provide advance credit, a model now being scaled through digital finance and traceability tools.
• Sustainable Finance Criteria: Commercial banks, even in developing nations, are increasingly aligning with sustainability criteria, creating new lending opportunities for smallholders and contributing to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Case Studies in SME and Smallholder Financing

Several organizations presented successful models for financing local enterprises:

• Barka Fund (Cote d’Ivoire): Provides financing to SMEs by presenting ecological restoration as a viable business case, directly linking investment to progress on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 15.
• CRDB Bank Foundation (Tanzania): Offers financial literacy programs to over 100,000 individuals in the agricultural sector, building their capacity to become profitable and bankable, thereby advancing SDG 1 and SDG 8.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): Works with multinational corporations to scale investment in restoration and sustainable land management to secure supply chains, demonstrating a corporate commitment to SDG 12 and SDG 17.

Investment Opportunities in Nature-Based Solutions

The symposium featured a session where nature-based projects pitched their business cases to investors, showcasing tangible opportunities to invest in solutions that deliver both financial returns and significant progress on the SDGs.

Protecting Amazonian Ecosystems

Mutual Empathy presented an investment opportunity to protect the “flying rivers” of the Amazon by supporting Indigenous governance over 2 million hectares. This project directly addresses:

• SDG 15 (Life on Land): By safeguarding a critical forest ecosystem.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): By protecting a vital source of atmospheric moisture and rainfall.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty): By ensuring the prosperity and resource security of forest communities.

Restoring Bangladesh’s Mangrove Forests

The organization Friendship pitched a project to reforest the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. This initiative offers multiple SDG co-benefits:

• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): By restoring a critical coastal ecosystem.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Through significant carbon sequestration.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): By providing sustainable livelihoods for over 100,000 people.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Achieving SDGs

The potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accelerate climate finance was a key topic of discussion, highlighting its capacity to advance SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) while also posing challenges related to equity and governance.

AI as a Catalyst for Sustainable Investment

Speakers identified several applications where AI is already driving progress:

1. Mapping Capital Flows: Latimpacto uses AI to analyze data and map resource movements, reducing uncertainty for investors.
2. Enhancing Local Processes: The Rutî Indigenous Fund uses AI to improve financial reporting and monitor the long-term impact of investments in communities.
3. Building Risk Models: Evercity leverages AI to analyze real-time data on assets and landscapes, improving risk assessment for climate finance.

Challenges and Inequalities in AI Adoption

Concerns were raised regarding the equitable and ethical use of AI:

• The Digital Divide: A significant gap exists between the Global North’s investment in AI and the Global South’s access to these technologies, potentially exacerbating inequalities and hindering progress on SDG 10.
• Data Governance and Transparency: Issues related to data quality, the opaque nature of AI algorithms, and the lack of control individuals have over their data were identified as critical governance challenges.

Conclusion: A Call for Urgent and Scaled Investment

The 8th Investment Case Symposium concluded with a clear message: the world is facing a climate emergency that demands transformative changes in the global financial system. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, large-scale investments must be rapidly mobilized and directed toward innovative, locally-led solutions that integrate climate action, biodiversity protection, and human prosperity.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses various initiatives and challenges related to sustainable finance, climate action, and community development, directly connecting to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus is on mobilizing financial resources to support environmental protection and empower local communities, particularly smallholder farmers and Indigenous groups.

• SDG 1: No Poverty: The article addresses poverty by focusing on improving the financial stability and livelihoods of smallholders and local communities. Initiatives like providing financial literacy to Tanzanian farmers and funding community-led projects aim to enhance economic resilience.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The emphasis on supporting smallholder farmers in the agricultural sector, who are critical to global food supply chains, connects to this goal. The article highlights the need to make their businesses profitable and resilient to climate impacts like droughts and floods, which is essential for food security.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: By presenting “restoration as a business case” and providing financing to small-and-medium size enterprises (SMEs), the initiatives discussed aim to foster sustainable economic growth and create livelihoods, such as those from honey production and fishing in restored mangrove ecosystems.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The article highlights the role of innovation, particularly through digital tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Rio Changemakers Initiative is described as an “AI-enabled global marketplace,” and other examples show AI being used for risk modeling, mapping capital flows, and improving efficiency, which supports sustainable industrialization and innovation.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: This is a central theme, as the symposium takes place at the COP30 climate summit. The entire article revolves around mobilizing climate finance, reducing deforestation, sequestering carbon through reforestation, and building resilience to climate risks.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: The article specifically mentions a project focused on the reforestation and protection of mangrove forests in Bangladesh. Mangroves are critical coastal ecosystems that support marine biodiversity and protect coastlines.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This goal is extensively covered through discussions on “financing nature’s frontlines,” protecting tropical forests (e.g., the Amazon), halting deforestation, promoting sustainable land management, and restoring degraded ecosystems.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article is a testament to the importance of partnerships. It describes collaborations between governments (Luxembourg, Brazil), international organizations (GLF, FAO), the private sector, and local communities to mobilize resources and implement sustainable solutions. The various funds and initiatives announced are all examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues and initiatives discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to… financial services, including microfinance.
   • Explanation: The article discusses various financial pathways for smallholders, including microfinance schemes, supply chain finance, and financial literacy programs like the one by CRDB Bank Foundation in Tanzania, which aims to improve access to banking and financial management skills.
2. Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers.
   • Explanation: The focus on providing finance and support to smallholders and SMEs in the agricultural sector, as done by the Barka Fund, is aimed at making their operations more sustainable and profitable, thereby increasing their incomes.
3. Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties… to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually… to address the needs of developing countries.
   • Explanation: The article is centered on mobilizing climate finance. It details specific large-scale financial commitments, such as Luxembourg’s EUR 320 million Climate Nexus Investment Program and Brazil’s USD 125 billion Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which contribute to this global goal.
4. Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems… and take action for their restoration.
   • Explanation: The project pitched in the ‘Dragons’ Den’ session to fund reforestation in the mangroves of Bangladesh directly addresses the restoration and protection of critical coastal ecosystems.
5. Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
   • Explanation: The TFFF is designed to support countries with low deforestation rates, while projects like the one in Bangladesh aim to reforest mangrove areas. The Mutual Empathy initiative supports Indigenous governance to protect 2 million hectares of the Colombian Amazon.
6. Target 15.b: Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management.
   • Explanation: The article’s core subject is the mobilization of finance for “nature’s frontlines,” with a strong emphasis on forests. The various funds and investment programs discussed are direct efforts to channel capital towards sustainable forest management.
7. Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.
   • Explanation: The symposium and the initiatives it showcases are focused on creating new financial instruments and partnerships to increase the flow of capital from governments, investors, and funds to developing countries for climate and nature projects.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Financial Flows: The article provides specific figures for new financial commitments, which serve as direct indicators of progress for targets 13.a, 15.b, and 17.3.
  • EUR 320 million for the Climate Nexus Investment Program.
  • USD 125 billion for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF).
• Carbon Sequestration Rates: A specific metric is provided for the mangrove project in Bangladesh, which can be used as an indicator for climate action (SDG 13) and ecosystem health (SDG 14).
  • “Protecting just one hectare of mangroves can sequester 24 metric tons of carbon.”
• Deforestation Rates: The TFFF aims to support countries with “low and declining deforestation rates,” making this a key performance indicator for SDG 15.
• Reach of Financial Literacy Programs: A quantifiable outcome is given for the CRDB Bank Foundation’s work, serving as an indicator for Target 1.4.
  • “offer financial literacy to over 100,000 Tanzanians in the agricultural sector.”
• Area of Land Under Protection/Sustainable Management: The Mutual Empathy project in Colombia provides a clear spatial indicator for SDG 15.
  • Supporting Indigenous governance across “2 million hectares of the Colombian Amazon.”
• Use of Scientific and Bio-cultural Indicators: The article implies the use of specific monitoring systems for ecosystem health.
  • Mutual Empathy uses “scientific and bio-cultural indicators” to monitor the health of the flying rivers.
• Proportion of Finance Reaching Local Actors: The article identifies a key problem and an implicit goal for new initiatives like the Rio Changemakers Initiative.
  • The current baseline is “less than 15 percent of climate and nature finance currently reaching local actors.” Progress would be measured by an increase in this percentage.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org