Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
Financial and economic concerns are paramount for the international banking industry to continue supporting and investing in the global renewable energy supply system. The transition to renewable energy to achieve the mission of decarbonisation is capital-intensive and needs substantial bank involvement to evaluate the risk-return profiles of such projects. However, …
This report explores the barriers, good practice lessons, and recommendations to improve local enabling conditions to attract private sector capital to support climate investments in cities of emerging economies. The analysis was informed by a literature review, five case studies with inputs from stakeholders involved in the projects’ development, eight …
Severe climate impacts are burdening countries worldwide, particularly the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States. Each disaster adds to their existing debt, hindering recovery and trapping them in an unsustainable cycle. This paper explores the need to break this cycle through existing debt relief options, covering the link …
Nature-based solutions for green infrastructure – such as managing fresh water flows, improving agricultural productivity or planting native vegetation – provide multiple benefits to people, communities and their environment. As it stands, countries seeking to identify finance for nature-based solutions must navigate complex fragmented terms and language, as well as …
Private sector investment is expected to play an important role in closing the current gap between available financing for adaptation and that which is required by developing countries. To date, however, the level of private sector financing in adaptation, particularly in developing countries, has been quite low. Innovative financial instruments …
Economywide decarbonization is essential for achieving the climate goals set in the Paris Agreement. This will require deploying and scaling up green infrastructure and technologies. While finance flows toward climate action—both mitigation and adaptation—have been increasing, the rate of increase has been much slower compared to the rate of growth …
The oil and gas (O&G;) sector in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is likely to find fundraising trickier, particularly to support fresh capacity, according to this new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). O&G; company financing is subject to the practices of their financiers, underwriters and …
This paper, published by the T20 India Task Force, examines the challenges in mobilising private capital for climate action and proposes solutions to unlock flows at scale. Developing countries need USD one trillion per year in external finance for climate action by 2030. However, both real and perceived risks impede …
Only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance from rich countries in 2020 was devoted to helping poor countries adapt to extreme weather, despite increasing incidences of climate-related disaster, according to this report from the Oxfam. In 2009, high-income countries committed in the Copenhagen Accords to mobilize US$100 billion a year by …
Poor diets and malnutrition in all its forms are among the greatest global social challenges of our time. The Nutrition Year of Action spotlighted the urgent need for more action whilst ensuring that all stakeholders are held accountable for their commitments. The 2022 Global Nutrition Report provides an analysis of …
About $2.8 trillion is set to be invested globally in energy in 2023, of which more than $1.7 trillion is expected to go to clean technologies, according to this new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). This year’s edition of the World Energy Investment provides a full update on …
The African Economic Outlook 2023 underscores the urgency to fast-track climate action and green transitions to drive the continent’s inclusive and sustainable development. The Bank’s new research, based on African countries’ latest submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), estimates that private sector financing will need to grow annually by 36 percent …
Over the past two years, several academic institutions and think tanks have collaborated on these issues. This effort has resulted in the outline of a framework for a GCA. The GCA initiative builds on existing climate agreements and multiple modelling studies that indicate that net zero is net positive. The …
The need to scale up the deployment of technologies such as green hydrogen, energy storage and offshore wind has become increasingly critical to the success of the global energy transition and to meeting global climate goals. To this end, access to low-cost capital for project financing in G20 Member Countries …
Asia and the Pacific remains a dynamic region despite the somber backdrop of what looks to be shaping up as a challenging year for the world economy. Global growth is poised to decelerate as rising interest rates and Russia’s war in Ukraine weigh on activity. Inflation remains stubbornly high, and …
This document summarizes findings from a workshop and a series of consultations organized by Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and Nepal’s Ministry of Finance (MoF). It aims to support development partners and Government of Nepal agencies in designing programmes and interventions to accelerate international climate finance in Nepal.
In its latest report, IEEFA has found that globally significant financial institutions (FIs) are committing to divesting away from coal at a quicker rate as climate change becomes a priority globally. It took almost six years for the first 100 institutions to adopt coal exclusion policies, but since then the …
The cost of capital (CoC) for renewable power generation technologies is a major determinant of the total price to purchasers of renewable electricity. Both reliable data, and a deep understanding of the composition of the CoC and its drivers, are therefore critical information. Crucially, even small differences in the CoC …
As India is celebrating 75 years of Independence, NITI Aayog in partnership with UNDP is bringing out the compendium of Best Practices in social sector showcasing 75 case studies which truly highlight the theme ‘Achievement@75’ at the local levels. These practices have been sourced from the 28 States and 8 …
Although measurements of biodiversity-related financial risks are in their infancy, several metrics and indicators are available to assess their impacts and dependencies in the financial system, and approaches are emerging to translate biodiversity risks into financial risks. This mapping paper provides a comprehensive catalogue and literature review of existing and …
