HYBRID CONFERENCE AT COP30
The 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium
Financing Nature’s Frontlines
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The 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium, as it happened
Most of humanity wants real, meaningful climate action – but how do we fund that change?
At the 8th GLF Investment Case Symposium: Financing Nature’s Frontlines, we brought together investors and changemakers to explore how to channel finance towards regenerative, community-led solutions.
Held at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and livestreamed worldwide, the event gathered over 4,400 participants from 147 countries, along with 56 speakers and 53 global and local partner organizations.
Reaching over 6 million people and counting via social media and media channels, with more than 763,000 engagements, this global event challenged governments and investors to rethink the future of climate and nature finance.
Missed the event? Don’t worry – all hybrid and online sessions are now available to stream on demand.
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Magic never happens inside your comfort zone, what we are seeing is that we need to break silos… You need to get out of what you are used to doing, and that is what we are seeing today. We are seeing people going beyond what an investor does, going beyond what community work does and this is what is going to save us.
Our ambition is very clear: to be a place of reference where impact, resilience and investments meet, where ideas become action and where nature-positive investments scale. We want Luxembourg to be a hub where innovative finance mechanisms are tested, refined and deployed, and where global partnerships are forged to accelerate change. Let’s work all together to build the pipeline, connect maturity stages and unlock capital for the landscapes that need it most.
I’m hearing at this whole conference [COP30] that carbon is king. In my opinion, it is not – because we have to see this broader perspective as a collective thing. What we call nature is a bunch of great assets: biodiversity, ecosystems and payment services.
We are piloting a financial instrument that will not only talk to the direct financial issues that smaller farmers have – most of them women and youth – but also ensure that climate action is there, in addition to access to finance.
TFFF [the Tropical Forest Forever Facility] will not and should not replace any source of funds. We are not saying this is the mother of all the facilities, and everybody else goes there. This is meant to complement and bring more money to support forests, because we need more money.
We are standing at a decisive point in history. Science, local knowledge and capital are converging as never before. If we act now, we can reshape finance into a force that allows humanity to prosper within planetary boundaries.
Finance must become an enabler of well-being, not unsustainable growth. It must serve regeneration, not its opposite – depletion, exploitation – and it must be rooted in values.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Finance must serve people and planet
Reforming finance will require political will. The solutions already exist, including stronger partnerships and local stewardship. Now, finance must move away from short-term growth and start striving for long-term wellbeing – fostering systemic change that sustains life, regenerates ecosystems and strengthens grassroots communities.
Innovate in finance, invest in nature
Financial innovation is vital. Bottom-up, locally-led investment models are shaping the portfolios of the future, from AI-enabled direct finance mechanisms to environmental impact bonds to payment for ecosystem services. But we will only achieve true impact when we fully value nature and invest in the communities restoring life and ecosystems worldwide.
Value nature properly
Biodiversity finance is stuck at the margins. Money is flowing – but to harmful agrifood and energy systems rather than local communities and regenerative small and medium enterprises. To change this, we need development finance institutions and philanthropists to step in with guarantees, first-loss capital, insurance and technical assistance. We also need development banks and corporations to start accounting for biodiversity across their operations.
Partnership is the new resilient infrastructure
Partnership is the new infrastructure. We need scientists at the table, communities in the lead and finance aligned with stewardship – not charity. To build these partnerships at scale, we need bold, responsible capital allocation and value-aligned partners. Rio Changemakers, a new initiative by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and the Global Landscapes Forum, is a science-led and adaptive AI-enabled global marketplace that will drive this transformation by rapidly connecting capital with locally-led solutions.
Close the digital divide
AI can help accelerate capital flows, improve risk assessments and strengthen deal pipelines – but only if the system is built from the bottom up. When communities guide data and metrics, technology can strengthen sovereignty, participation and accountability. We need a robust global governance system for AI to prevent power imbalances and ensure that it’s used responsibly, inclusively and impactfully by communities, for communities.
Rio Changemakers
Rio Changemakers is a brand-new global marketplace that uses artificial intelligence to connect global investors with climate, biodiversity, land and community solutions led by grassroots actors, especially Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Less than 15% of climate finance currently reaches locally-led projects in the Global South. This new initiative aims to change that by combining science, finance and community expertise to make sustainable investments faster, more transparent and more inclusive.
Co-developed by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), Rio Changemakers was launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. Following a 12-month pilot phase, it will become fully operational by COP31 in November 2026.
As a flagship initiative under Luxembourg’s new Climate Nexus Investment Program, it will commit EUR 320 million over the next five years to scale up high-integrity, locally-led nature-based solutions.
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