Author: Global Landscapes Forum WT

Agriculture, forestry and other land uses are central to the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They may also contribute up to 20% of emission reductions needed to achieve the Paris mitigation target. Notably, nearly 60% of food production is produced by smallholders (<20 ha) who are undoubtedly the most vulnerable to climate change. The CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA), together with Tropenbos International have organized a series of events aiming to enrich our discussion on barriers to inclusive sustainable finance and we reach the most vulnerable and marginalized.

After a set of interviews conducted at the beginning of 2019, a Digital Summit was organized, then followed by an e-dialogue to enrich an ongoing study via on-line discussion (the current state of the study is summarized in this white paper). Finally the discussion went live on Saturday, 30 November 2019 at the GLF Luxembourg in the prestigious European Convention Center. The outstanding panel discussions brought together many voices and different perspectives from the various stakeholders in landscape finance.

Rounding off the consultation phase of our study we will talk to three practitioners in the field of inclusive finance through an open-access Digital Summit. These are people who have been dealing with financial barriers from the receiver point of view: women groups in Ghana, indigenous people in Peru and people designing payment for ecosystem services in Kenya.

Join this open-access Digital Summit to follow the discussions and share you own experiences in dealing with barriers to finance your sustainable land use practices. You will be able to follow the event live and also pose questions via a chat box – don’t miss this opportunity!

Bending the curve on our current biodiversity crisis is key to sustainable land use and a healthy planet. In doing so, the private sector will play a crucial role and it must invest on biodiversity. Measuring impact from those investments requires that there are agreed upon methodologies and terminology to familiarize the financial sector with biodiversity in support of higher commitment to action.

This Digital Summit will follow up on and discuss the outcomes of the upcoming GLF Luxembourg on 30th November. This conference on Sustainable Finance will tackle key questions such as, “How should positive impacts on biodiversity be defined? Can reducing negative impacts on biodiversity be considered as a positive impact? How should financial institutions’ s report on these impacts and how to reach a ‘net-positive-gain’? Furthermore, what baseline should be used to measure impact, a pristine situation or a situation which operates within the planetary boundaries?”

To broaden this conversation, experts on the field will share insights on how to Measure the Impact of Investments on Biodiversity and will use this Digital Summit to open the debate to a broader audience informing the way ahead.

Up for discussion will be the next steps ahead:

• How to deal with certification in impact investment?
• Who monitors biodiversity in landscape projects?
• What are business case examples that could be provided to financials?
• What for the investment period does landscape restoration require?

Speakers:

• Caroline van Leenders, Process Manager Greening the Financial System at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands
• Wijnand Broer, Partner at CREM
• David Alvarez, Executive Director at Ecoacsa Reserva de Biodiversidad
• Anna Krotova,Manager – Standards at GRI

In the last two decades, land reform has been carried out in many African countries. This GLF Digital Summit focuses on the impact of these policies on land tenure and resource management, and their perception by local residents in both rural and urban settings. From case studies from Rwanda, Ethiopia and Ghana, what factors are working on landscape change under land reform process will be discussed with special reference to landscape restoration.

Moderator:

• Takanori Oishi
  Lecturer, African Studies Center, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Speakers:

• Shinichi Takeuchi
  Director, African Studies Center, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
• Teshome Emana
  Visiting Professor, African Studies Center – TUFS / Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Social Anthropology, Addis Ababa University
• Kojo Amanor
  Visiting Professor, African Studies Center – TUFS / Professor, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

Commentator:

• Denis Sonwa
  Senior Researcher, CIFOR, Cameroon

Join us for this digital summit to learn why GLF is working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to Go for the Gold – to ensure rights are respected and our planet is restored. Educate yourself about what it takes to become a champion for rights.

Why the Gold Standard?
Indigenous Peoples and local communities are unparalleled environmental stewards: their lands hold 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity and sequester nearly 300 billion metric tons of carbon. But we are not doing enough to recognize and respect the rights of these groups, especially for the rights of women, which are foundational to their ability to protect nature, to their safety, and their well-being.
Though there are many social and environmental safeguards to protect, existing schemes still lack a common set of globally recognized principles, defined and developed with rights holders.
Organizations including GLF, IPMG, RRI and FPP have come together to address this gap by developing a best practice “Guiding Principles to Rights-Based approaches to sustainable landscapes.”

Why join in on this digital summit:
Join us for this digital summit to learn about where the Gold Standard has been and where it’s going.

By taking part, you’ll hear about lessons panelists learned during the early stages of the Gold Standard concept development and consultations with rights holders in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. You’ll also learn about resources the Gold Standard’s developing organizations may provide for its successful adoption: to build the capacities of duty bearers to fulfill their responsibilities to people and the planet.
The development of the Gold Standard has been centered around regional consultation where rights holders shape the guiding principles. These principles will inform national and international policies and landscape-level interventions. The consultations are on-going, and the principles are expected to be launched publicly at the end of 2019.