Shaping a Resilient Future: Unleashing Finance at the Subnational Level

A hybrid event, occurring alongside the Regions4 2024 General Assembly, open to Regions4 and RegionsAdapt members and friends.

Hosted by the RegionsAdapt initiative, alongside the Regions4 Biodiversity Learning Platform (R4BLP) and Regions4SDGs, the Financing Resilience International Forum will delve into opportunities and critical gaps in accessing financial resources for climate and nature.

The forum will consist of two distinct sessions: the first will explore regional leadership, and the second will examine key financing mechanisms available to subnational governments. Following these sessions, an in-person-only segment will be held exclusively for members attending the General Assembly on-site.

Time and date: Thursday 27^th of June  | 09:30 – 13:30 BRT | Check your local time here 

Lead organizers: Regions4 and the Government of Rio de Janeiro.

Translation: Translation will be provided to Portuguese, Spanish, English and French. 

Audience : This hybrid forum will provide in-person attendance for Regions4 members invited to the General Assembly and virtual connectivity for both Regions4 and RegionsAdapt members. Online Access Link: to be provided shortly. 

Contact: Héloise Chicou (climate@regions4.org) or Renata Gomez (rgomez@regions4.org)

Background

In 2024, significant international events like the UN Summit of the Future, Biodiversity COP16, and Climate COP29 will tackle critical issues such as the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and new financial goals for the climate crisis. Finance is key to accelerating action and implementing these global commitments at the necessary pace and scale.

State and regional governments, covering over 75% of federalized or devolved entities, are crucial for achieving resilience. They seek direct financial access and technical support to meet global commitments, integrating climate and biodiversity efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These governments can translate global agreements into local actions, support cities, bridge urban-rural gaps, and innovate solutions that inform broader policies.

However, regional governments, especially in developing regions, face financial barriers like limited access to international funds, lack of awareness of options, and challenges in developing viable projects. Overcoming these challenges is essential for accelerating resilience at the subnational level.

Objective of the Session:

• Better understand the inspiring experiences and leadership of regions regarding financing resilience, that could be replicated; 
• Analysis of the critical gaps that regions face regarding accessing finance and strategies to overcome them; 
• Analysis of best practices and existing tools that can help inform regions’ financing strategies; 
• Identifying finance opportunities relevant for subnational levels; 
• Identifying priority venues of engagement of Regions4 with subnational governments around finance; 
• Shaping common messages around finance to inform global processes including Biodiversity COP16, UNFCCC COP29, and the UN Summit of the Future. 

Agenda

09:30 – 10h45 | SESSION 1 – SUBNATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN FINANCING RESILIENCE

This high-level session will look at the role that subnational governments are playing to finance resilience actions, looking at their contribution at the international, regional and local levels, as enablers of implementation and examples of ambition, innovation, cooperation, solidarity.

A panel moderated by Ms Natalia Uribe, Secretary General of Regions4, with the participation of:

• Mr. Aitor Aldasoro, Vice-Minister for Environmental Sustainability,  Basque Country  
• Ms. Paola Pabón, Prefect of the Provincial Autonomous Government of Pichincha, President of the Consortium of Provincial Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE) 
• Mr. Gharib Murbe, Head of International Climate Change, Scottish Goverment
• Ms. Ana Asti, Undersecretary of State for Water Resources and Sustainability of the Government of Rio de Janeiro 
• Mr. Jean Lemire, Special Envoy for Climate change, Government of Quebec
• Mr. Adolfo Uriarte, Director of Natural Heritage and Climate Change, Basque Country
• Mr. Rafael Andreguetto, Director of Environmental Policies of the State Secretary for Sustainable Development and Director of Natural Heritage of the Instituto Agua e Terra, Paraná  

11:15 – 13:00 | SESSION 2 – CONNECTING GLOBAL FINANCE FOR RESILIENCE TO THE SUBNATIONAL LEVEL

This session will have a panel discussions with regional governments looking at how they are tapping into global, multilateral, national, or other finance mechanisms for resilience. It will be followed by a panel discussion with donors and international organizations looking at their role in supporting regional governments in accessing finance for resilience. The moderator will facilitate a discussion on their strategies to support subnational leadership, specific mechanisms and financial instruments, capacity-building and technical assistance for accessing international funds, challenges and gaps, monitoring and evaluation, and the future of finance for climate and nature. 

Two panels moderated by Ms Marie Ikemoto, Undersecretary for Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation, Rio de Janeiro, with the confirmed participation of:

• Ms. Angelica Lara, Minister of the Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Energy, Government of Campeche
• Ms. Karla Reátegui, Prefect of Zamora Chinchipe, CONGOPE Ecuador
• Mr. Gian Luca Gurrieri, Manager for Climate, Emissions and Physical Agents, Government of Lombardy
• Mr. Loyiso Mkwana, Director at the Government of Gauteng Government of Gauteng 
• Ms. Katarzyna Dziamara-Rzucidlo, Human Settlements and Infrastructure Senior Specialist, Green Climate Fund
• Ms. Ana Allen, Subnational Finance Coordinator, UNDP BIOFIN Mexico
• Ms. Maria Clara Nascimento, Cities, States and Regions Lead, CDP Latin America
• Ms. Weselina Angelow, Scale2Save Programme Director, World Saving and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI)  

This event is supported by the State Government of Rio de Janeiro.