The 8th GLF Investment Case: Agenda

Enjoy some coffee, tea and light snacks in the morning before the conference begins. Get chatting with fellow participants and ease into a day of inspiring sessions and networking.

From the Caribbean coast of Mexico to the Himalayan mountains of India, find out how communities across the Restoration Stewards and GLFx chapter networks are restoring ecosystems and renewing hope. This episode features ocean conservation efforts, seedbed initiatives and mountain restoration work reconnecting people with their natural surroundings.

As the world gathers in Belém, where forests, rivers and communities meet, this opening plenary will explore how finance can serve those protecting nature’s frontlines.

Leaders from governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector and frontline communities will share how innovative finance mechanisms are reshaping how capital flows to local actors and ecosystems – from payment for ecosystem services to results-based instruments, impact finance and biodiversity credits.

We will showcase innovations from across the Global South to demonstrate how locally-driven solutions can inspire systemic change, while global actors are working to bridge international frameworks with local conditions. Together, these partnerships point to a future where finance protects and regenerates ecosystems, supports communities and delivers shared prosperity.

This session explores five complementary financial pathways that enable smallholders and local communities to access finance for restoration, sustainable production and value-added enterprises. Building on FAO and partners’ work under the Supporting AFR100 program and the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), we will illustrate how internal savings, supply-chain agreements, commercial credit and blended finance can be linked through forest and farm producer organizations (FFPOs) as trusted intermediaries.
Drawing on their experiences, speakers will show how derisking, aggregation and value chain integration can unlock inclusive investment in rural landscapes and drive climate-positive growth.

Agriculture is the leading source of methane emissions and biodiversity loss worldwide. National development banks (NDBs), as the main providers of credit to the agriculture sector, have a pivotal role in reversing this trend by embedding nature-positive and climate-smart standards into their operations. This session will explore challenges, opportunities, and innovative solutions to align NDB portfolios with sustainable landscape goals. It will highlight how NDBs and subnational actors can mobilize finance, de-risk green investments and accelerate the transition toward resilient, low-emission and biodiversity-positive agricultural systems. Drawing on experiences from the Luxembourg–GGGI Global Trust Fund on Sustainable Finance Instruments, it will showcase innovative approaches to align sustainable finance, policy, and digital innovation to scale biodiversity-positive and methane-smart landscapes.

The value of investing in nature may sound obvious, but in practice, it is often difficult for nature-based solutions to attract the financing they need. Even as scientists, communities and grassroot organizations need funds to scale up their work in the field, funds, banks and corporations often struggle to provide this support. In this session, we will explore how organizations work at various scales amid this paradox, building bridges and overcoming challenges to create a long-term future for impact investment in nature.

Join us for a lunch break, a perfect opportunity to network, share ideas, and recharge with fellow participants.

The event will address the challenges and opportunities of climate finance at the global, regional (Latin America and the Caribbean), and national levels, highlighting Peru’s recent progress in this area. It will begin with a presentation that will set the current context for climate finance, including international trends, innovative mechanisms in the region, and the country’s progress in mobilizing and managing resources for climate action.
This will be followed by a multisectoral panel discussion where different perspectives will be shared on the gaps, challenges, and needs for scaling up climate finance in Peru. The space seeks to promote constructive dialogue that contributes to strengthening coordination between public, private, and social actors to drive more ambitious, inclusive, and sustainable climate action.

Join Natasha Garcha, senior director of sustainable finance at Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), for an inspiring conversation on how finance can be a force for inclusion, resilience, and peace. Through pioneering initiatives like the Women’s Livelihood Bond Series and the Orange Bond Initiative, Natasha and her team are reshaping global capital markets to center gender equality and climate action. Drawing from her work across Asia-Pacific, East Africa and the United States, Natasha will share how intersectional and inclusive financial innovation can unlock a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

You may need to allow a pop-up request in your browser to join the session. This session will be conducted in English only, and our conversation here will guide you to the Zoom meeting.

Finance is about resources, trust, relationships and impact. This session emphasizes experience, creativity, and co-creation over technical expertise. Participants will be assigned to one of three breakout rooms, each focusing on a different theme: redirecting flows toward regeneration, investing in Indigenous and community-led solutions, and innovating nature-positive instruments. In small groups, your role will be to co-create ideas and solutions related to your theme, with the end goal of making finance work for people and the planet.

Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will:Explore how financial flows can be redirected to regenerative, inclusive, and nature-positive outcomes.Identify shared barriers and opportunities to make finance work for frontline communities.Co-create simple, actionable principles or ideas for making finance accessible and human-centered.

Discover how regenerative agroforestry strengthens both people and landscapes. Drawing on her work with smallholder coffee farmers in Brazil, Francyelly Lasmar Balduino will show how agroforestry boosts climate resilience, restores ecosystems, and supports more inclusive livelihoods for rural communities.

Climate finance is evolving to reward verified outcomes rather than promised activities. This session will explore how outcome-based, gender-responsive investments can drive measurable progress in climate adaptation. Speakers will discuss innovative financing models that link resources directly to proven results in women’s empowerment, community resilience and ecosystem restoration. Participants will gain insights into how verified impact frameworks, such as the W+ Standard, are transforming funding systems to deliver transparency, accountability and equity. The discussion will highlight how to finance what truly works – and how this can create lasting benefits for people and the planet, setting a new standard for effectiveness in climate and gender finance.

From Guatemala’s Pacific coast to the Espinal forests of Argentina, join GLFx chapters as they demonstrate how they’re strengthening community resilience through restoration. Featuring efforts to protect coastlines, revive degraded lands and nurture local nurseries, these stories reflect the spirit of restoration and hope driving the GLFx network.

The Dragons’ Den offers an opportunity for investors to engage directly with some of the most promising impact funds, financial mechanisms, and nature-positive projects shaping the future of sustainable finance.

More than a pitching arena, the Dragons’ Den is designed as a learning and exchange platform – a place to explore business models, impact rationales and investment strategies that define effective, scalable solutions for people and the planet. For the audience, it’s also a chance to gain practical insights into what makes a compelling project, what drives a strong fit between investors, funds and locally-led projects, and how finance can create real regenerative impact.

Join us for this inspirational talk by Isabelle Delas, CEO of LuxFLAG and a seasoned leader in sustainable finance and development law, on how transparency, good governance and impact-driven finance can shape a more inclusive and resilient global economy.

The closing plenary will explore how artificial intelligence and digital innovation can transform finance into a driver of regeneration and stewardship on nature’s frontlines. By aligning private capital with planetary boundaries, finance can strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, empower local stewards and create equitable prosperity for people and the planet.

We will hear insights from government, finance, business and civil society leaders on how AI can enhance transparency, guide investment decisions and foster collaboration between investors, local communities and nature-based enterprises. Together, they will chart pathways toward a financial system that recognizes the value of ecosystems and those who protect them – building a future where finance and technology work hand in hand for regeneration.

Drop by our online https://connect.globallandscapesforum.org/e/8th-investment-case-symposium/portal/lounge/nl_15156 – a closing reception to unwind, connect, and translate the day’s insights into your own context. Jump on a video call with fellow participants, or just join in the chat. Stay for five minutes or the full hour; hop in and out as you like. We’ll decompress, connect, share lessons learned and keep exploring how we can make finance work for people and the planet.

Guiding questions (for chat and video):How are you feeling?What is something you learned today that stuck with you – and why?How does what you heard connect with your own thoughts and practices?Does finance feel too technical or closed off? If so, why?What are some new insights emerging for you?What’s one possible next step to make finance work for people and the planet?

Join us for a special closing reception to wrap up GLF Climate. Meet colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds, enjoy drinks and food and celebrate the day.