Co-hosted by UNDP and FAO
Format
The COP31 side event will take place in-person at the UNDP Pavilion, in the Blue Zone. The event will be in English with a duration of 90 minutes.
Background
As climate impacts intensify, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), including Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), offer opportunities to address interconnected climate and biodiversity challenges. In agriculture and land use, approaches such as agroforestry and ecosystem restoration can strengthen agricultural resilience, improve productivity and livelihoods, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve biodiversity. Yet, despite their potential, investment in NbS remains limited by persistent policy, financial, informational and market barriers. While the biodiversity financing gap is estimated at more than US$700 billion annually, agrifood systems receive just 7.2% of global climate finance (Climate Policy Initiative, 2025), highlighting the urgent need to mobilize additional public and private investment.
Governments have a critical role to play in creating the enabling conditions to unlock finance at scale. This includes establishing supportive policies and regulations, strengthening alignment between climate and biodiversity priorities, improving access to climate and market information, developing appropriate incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms, and integrating NbS into national climate, agricultural and land-use planning. By strengthening the business case for NbS, governments can help mobilize private investment, strengthen resilience, conserve biodiversity and support more sustainable and socially inclusive agrifood systems.
The event
This COP31 side event will bring together representatives from government, civil society, the private sector and the donor community to explore how innovative finance solutions can advance the implementation of NbS and EbA in agriculture and food systems, contributing to national climate commitments and biodiversity conservation.
The event will showcase country experiences in mobilizing public and private-sector investment through innovative financial mechanisms and examine the enabling conditions needed to unlock finance at scale for climate and biodiversity action. Discussions will draw, in part, on the experiences of UNDP and FAO through the Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture (SCALA) programme and UNDP's Sustainable Finance Hub work on private finance for the SDGs.
Discussions will focus on:
- Highlighting climate and biodiversity finance needs and trends in agrifood systems, as per analysis of the latest round of NDCs and evidence from NBSAPs;
- Highlighting the environmental and socio-economic co-benefits of NbS and EbA in addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation and how supporting biodiversity targets can also deliver on climate goals;
- Showcasing country-level approaches, experiences and insights that demonstrate different types of financing and de-risking approaches to strengthen climate resilience in agrifood systems, while protecting and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems;
- Exploring opportunities, challenges and enablers for scaling NbS adoption to accelerate the implementation of NDC and NAP priorities in agriculture and land use.
Agenda
Moderator: Julie Teng (UNDP)
| Time | Agenda |
| 5 mins | Welcome Julie Teng, Climate Change Adaptation Specialist (UNDP) |
| 5 mins | Opening remarks Dr. Ulf Jackel, Head of the European and International Adaptation to Climate Change Division (BMUKN) |
| 10 mins | Setting the scene: From NDCs, NAPs and NBSAPs to Investment: Public and Private Climate Finance Trends in Agrifood Systems Krystal Crumpler, Natural Resources Officer (FAO) |
| 5 mins | Q&A |
| 10 mins | Expanding the Toolbox for Climate Finance Reyes Tirado, Global Lead for Agrifood, Climate Bonds Initiative |
| 10 mins | Q&A |
| 30 mins | Panel discussion: Moderated by Julie Teng (UNDP)
|
| 10 mins | Q&A |
| 5 mins | Way forward: closing remarks Julie Teng (UNDP) |