Side event details

The impact of climate change is increasingly affecting communities and natural ecosystems around the world, particularly in the most vulnerable places. What are we learning from financing climate change adaptation to could inform wetlands and biodiversity interventions? Who do we need to engage and how can wetlands be positioned in the climate change discourse? 

This event will bring together evaluators from the Asian Development Bank, Adaptation Fund, Commonwealth Secretariat, European Investment Bank, and the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) to consider each organization's lessons learned in terms of providing finance for climate adaptation. The IEU will also share findings from the independent evaluation of the GCF's adaptation portfolio and approach with a specific focus on the challenges faced by most vulnerable countries. 

The event’s objectives are as follows:

• To inform the audience of the IEU evaluation’s key findings and take-aways relating to the GCF’s adaptation investments and portfolio.
• To also inform the audience of the relevant work/evaluations done by the partner organizations on adaptation and/or climate investments.
• To exchange ideas with and hear from the panel members on how some of the findings and insights from the IEU’s adaptation evaluation are useful and relevant to their work and to the broader climate change/climate finance community.

*Subject to last minute changes

Opening Remarks
by Andreas Reumann, Head of Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU), GCF 

What is the GCF’s approach to mobilizing finance for adaptation, biodiversity and wetlands? What are some of the challenges? 
by Andreas Reumann, Head of Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU), GCF 

What is the role of adaptation finance for nature-based solutions and resilience strengthening? 
by Martin Noltze, Senior Evaluator, German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval)  

Biodiversity, wetland conservation and climate adaptation finance: lessons from evaluations  
by Shimako Takahashi, Evaluation Specialist, Independent Evaluation Department, Asian Development Bank  

How can climate bonds contribute to adaptation finance? Is this something that could be applied in biodiversity and wetlands conservation?  
by Charu Wilkinson, External Consultant, EIB  

What are the key lessons, from Adaptation Fund projects, on locally based adaptation investments in wetlands? 
by Claudio Volonte, Member, Technical Evaluation Reference Group of the Adaptation Fund  

What is the Commonwealth Secretariat’s experience in mobilizing climate finance for adaptation, biodiversity and wetlands conservation?  
by Unnikrishnan Divakaran Nair, Head of Climate Change, Commonwealth Secretariat  

Moderated Discussion and Q&A 

• Discussants: Doug Watson & Bernhard Seliger 
   

Closing Remarks  
by Andreas Reumann, Head of Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU), GCF