AIIB at COP28

The global challenge of climate change requires collaborative efforts in funding solutions. Sustainable finance is instrumental in funding renewable energy facilities, technological advancements, and carbon sinks. But the current challenge lies in directing the much-needed private climate finance to areas where it is most needed. Blended Finance, a collaborative approach involving public, private, and nonprofit sectors, helps overcome implementation challenges. This session explores how leading financial institutions are advancing climate finance partnerships through Blended Finance. Key topics include leveraging private sector finance, tackling challenges, and identifying core elements for successful Blended Finance projects in emerging economies.

9.30 - 9.40 a.m., Opening speech: Jin Liqun, President, AIIB
9.40 - 10.30 a.m., Part 1: Climate Tech
10.35 - 11.30 a.m., Part 2: Digital Infrastructure

This two-part session focuses on how accelerating innovation and deployment of effective technologies can help achieve net-zero and resilience goals. The IEA estimates that nearly 50% of CO₂ emission reductions by 2050 will come from emerging technologies. To unlock their potential, a virtuous cycle is needed, combining development, commercialization, cost reduction, and willingness to pay for climate benefits. New technologies will only be effective if their costs are rapidly reduced and they are adopted at scale. It also requires consistent dissemination of value propositions to ensure market understanding of the technology. To this end, AIIB is developing the InfraTech Portal, which aims to reduce the mismatch between technology supply and demand by providing information on the needs and opportunities for technology to address climate change.

To date, green bonds have directed over USD3 trillion from capital markets to sustainable activities, including a small portion towards resilience. The demand for sustainable investments is continuously diversifying and growing. Yet, the supply of project pipelines falls short, leaving investor demand unmet and offering an untapped opportunity. By expanding the sustainable bond market to include a broader range of eligible investments that address the interconnected challenges of sustainable development, mitigation, and adaptation, we can unlock trillions of dollars to finance a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future.

This session will explore leveraging nature as infrastructure and integrating nature-based solutions into infrastructure development. This will include a presentation on "nature as infrastructure," a key theme of our annual flagship report. The report examines the interplay between nature and development, emphasizing how sustainable infrastructure can protect the environment.

This event will focus on how financial institutions, both in developed and emerging markets and developing economies, can actualize their net-zero commitments and support real-economy transitions. The discussion will zero in on four key transition finance strategies, guided by themes from the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero’s (GFANZ) voluntary, globally applicable framework for net-zero transition planning (GFANZ NZTP framework), which GFANZ identifies as essential elements of a credible net-zero transition plan.

Understanding the current state of carbon markets and their role in reducing emissions and boosting green investments is crucial. Global cooperation is essential, especially in setting carbon prices, measuring carbon credits, and connecting various carbon markets. Also, while still growing, offset programs are a key part of carbon markets and need expansion to speed up green transitions.

Committed to financing the Infrastructure for Tomorrow (i4t), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is dedicated to building inclusively, with a focus on the needs of future generations. Recognizing the critical role of youth in the future, their active involvement in decision-making processes is essential to create strong ownership and sustain momentum for impactful change.

This session focuses on the need for innovative financing for environmental sustainability in Southeast Asia, where climate change and emerging economies intersect, and faces challenges in securing funds for climate and nature projects, particularly in climate adaptation and nature conservation. Blended Finance--combining development finance and philanthropic funds to attract private capital toward sustainable development--is explored as a solution to catalyze investments. Experts from institutions like the IPCC, Singapore Green Finance Centre, and AIIB offer insights into climate finance. Key topics include climate resilience and adaptation strategies (focusing on key areas like climate-resilient infrastructure, urban adaptation financing, and the integration of Big Data and AI in financing. Insights from the Singapore Green Finance Centre and collaborative efforts with key figures and institutions like the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) are also discussed.

Seizing the opportunity at COP28, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Bloomberg Philanthropies are set to jointly host a flagship event titled "The Future of Financing Partnerships for Energy Transition". This event aims to explore collaborative approaches among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), philanthropic foundations, Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs), and private sector entities. The focus will be on combining their capital and strengths to develop scalable solutions and bridge the financing gaps that emerging markets face in transitioning to green energy.

To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, decarbonizing the world is crucial. This requires significant investments in green technologies, especially in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) which rely, to a large extent, on international capital flows. However, financing these investments in foreign currencies poses challenges, as most revenues will be in local currencies. This currency risk can lead to unfinanced green investments or a surge in dollar-denominated debt and associated risks. In this session, international finance institutions discuss their ongoing and planned initiatives in local currency finance, challenges faced and potential solutions. The session will also explore the practical considerations for the adoption of an onshore Global Local Currency Treasury initiative.

Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are the primary financiers of climate adaptation, contributing to 98 percent of adaptation finance. Yet to address the growing global demand for strengthened community resilience, there is a critical and immediate need for a substantial escalation in financing from the private sector. This event will focus on the critical role and opportunities for private sector involvement in adaptation efforts.

Integrated Waste Management Solutions (IWMS) have emerged as an effective, if not imperative, approach to building a climate-resilient future, preventing pollution and advancing a circular economy for valuable material in the waste stream. Explore how Multilateral Development Banks, private sector and development partners and governments can work together with relevant platforms and initiatives to implement effective Integrated Waste Management Solutions (IWS).

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) Economics Department, in collaboration with the Center for Policy Research (CPR), the Council for Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), and a team of international experts, has undertaken a comprehensive study on India’s journey towards Net Zero. This report delves into six key areas: institutions and green governance; market-based policies and instruments; net zero targets and their implications for state governments and various sectors; modeling transition pathways; green financing; and lifestyle choices for environmental sustainability.

Despite the growth of sustainable finance, the lack of technical capacity hinders private financing for climate action in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs). The G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) identified technical assistance and capacity building as priorities. China's Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS) is launching the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI) to provide learning programs for sustainable finance development in ASEAN, Central Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American regions. This session features challenges, experiences, lessons learned, and the formal launch of CASI.

Central Asian countries are facing severe water stress. This will likely worsen due to climate change and socioeconomic growth. The panel will explore the varying needs of countries in Central Asia concerning inefficiency in water resource management. It will examine the support available for enhanced water usage and how both state and non-state actors can contribute to increased water resilience in the region.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that an annual investment of over USD4 trillion in the energy sector is required to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Enhanced international support, including concessional finance, is necessary to attract large-scale investment. Multilateral development banks (MDBs) play a crucial role in advising on policy frameworks, financing and developing early-stage projects, and mobilizing larger multiples of private capital. This session explores the role of finance in driving the clean energy transition, including the acceleration of clean energy, the enhancement of grid infrastructure, and the strategic phase-out of high emitting assets. It features insights from IEA’s World Energy Outlook and Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) guidance on phasing out coal-fired power in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

This COP28 side event will focus on innovative technologies for climate change adaptation and enhancing resilience. It will illustrate how public-private partnerships and blended finance are key in addressingthe significant adaptation finance gap, which, according to the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), currently stands at around USD 387 billion per year.

Conceiving and delivering resilient infrastructure is a challenge that is too immense for any single entity to tackle in isolation. Governments, financial institutions, and the private sector all have vital roles to play. Insurance also plays a crucial role in enabling and managing the risk of these projects, helping to unlock financing for them, and supporting rapid recovery and restoration in the wake of disasters. This event aims to attract a range of global public and private sector actors, active in the areas of resilient infrastructure, energy transition and nature-based solutions.

Scaling clean energy transition and distributed renewable energy in Asia can significantly contribute to reducing carbon emissions, as the region is one of the largest contributors to global emissions. COP 28 Dubai provides a crucial platform for global leaders, institutions and stakeholders to address the urgent need for sustainable and climate-resilient energy systems.

The exponential growth of the green bond market shows that projects with a strong climate impact have a high potential to access capital market financing, appealing to an impact-driven investor base. A diverse panel of standard setters, investors, MDBs, and practitioners, will focus on exchanging insights and best practices in the issuance of climate adaptation bonds. It aims to address the challenges and investor expectations, promoting global replication to establish these bonds as a recognized asset class.

The seminar focuses on urban resilience preparedness and showcase practical solutions and strategies that can be replicated or adapted to address the unique challenges faced by Asian cities. Urban resilience aligns with COP28’s objectives by promoting adaptive strategies within urban environments, ensuring that cities can effectively respond to and recover from climatic and disaster events.

The maritime industry is a significant contributor to global trade and greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy to reduce emissions from ships by at least 40 percent by 2030. However, achieving decarbonization at the necessary scale requires substantial financing. AIIB is leading efforts to make the maritime sector greener, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable economic growth. This session will discuss the challenges in decarbonizing the maritime sector, identify solutions and financing gaps, and explore cooperation needed to promote decarbonization effectively.

This event aims to explore innovative financing mechanisms, policy frameworks and best practices that can accelerate the transition to clean and sustainable energy systems from the perspectives of industry leaders, multilateral development banks and international organizations.

This inter-disciplinary panel will bring together multilateral and bilateral development institutions, international organizations and academia to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to the planning, design and financing of Nature as Infrastructure. In charting the way forward, the event will identify areas for collaboration and concrete solutions to scale up the use of Nature as Infrastructure, from policy making to project finance.

This session at COP28 focuses on São Paulo, showcasing how local actions can make a big difference in the global fight against climate change. Representatives from various agencies will discuss how a major urban area tackles environmental challenges with innovative solutions. It also provides insights for other regions facing similar issues, and practical ideas for climate mitigation and adaptation. The session aims to inspire collaborative efforts, highlighting that adapting to current climate realities and preparing for future ones requires shared knowledge and joint action.

AIIB, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) will host a high-level dialogue on scaling up nature and climate positive investments in the less developed nations and exchange on how can the international community to work together and mobilize resources to fight climate change, protect biodiversity and improve the lives and livelihoods of those most affected so that “No One is Left Behind.”