EBRD expands biodiversity finance agenda at COP17

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EBRD expands biodiversity finance at COP17

Highlights

EBRD will use COP17 as a key forum to turn the 2022 global biodiversity framework into practical investment and action, emphasizing material economic risks from biodiversity loss.
EBRD's COP17 sessions on 22, 26, and 28 October will address financing scalable nature-positive investments, linking biodiversity to infrastructure, and balancing the 30x30 target with renewable energy expansion.
The agenda signals increasing focus by multilateral lenders and investors on integrating biodiversity risk-sharing, project standards, and capital mobilisation into mainstream infrastructure, energy, and agrifood finance.

EBRD sets out COP17 priorities

As reported by EBRD, the multilateral lender will take part in the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, positioning the event as a key forum for turning international biodiversity goals into investment and action.

The conference marks the first global review of progress since the biodiversity framework was adopted in 2022. It is bringing together governments, international organisations, development partners, businesses and civil society to advance the global biodiversity agenda.

For the bank, nature protection and restoration are tied closely to economic resilience and sustainable growth. It says healthy ecosystems support food and water security, resilient infrastructure and supply chains, while biodiversity loss creates material risks for economies and companies.

The EBRD says its role as a multilateral development bank with a strong private-sector focus allows it to combine project origination, blended finance, policy dialogue, technical assistance and environmental and social safeguards. Its delegation is being led by Vice President and Chief Risk Officer Fatoumata Bouaré and includes senior executives working across climate, environment, agribusiness and regional operations.

Nature finance themes and market implications

The bank's programme at COP17 centers on how to scale commercially viable funding for restoration and nature-positive investment. Sessions scheduled for 22 October include discussions on who pays for nature at scale and on linking biodiversity outcomes to infrastructure investment.

Further events on 26 October focus on multilateral development bank contributions to implementing the global biodiversity framework and on balancing the 30x30 conservation target with a tripling of renewable energy. On 28 October, the EBRD is also taking part in panels on financing the agrifood transition and launching an MDB briefing note on integrating biodiversity gains into development finance and mobilising investment for ecosystem restoration.

The agenda underscores a broader push by development lenders to embed biodiversity into mainstream financing decisions. For infrastructure, energy and agrifood investors, that points to growing attention on risk-sharing tools, project standards and capital mobilisation tied to nature outcomes.

In our earlier article on Mario Draghi’s warning about restrictive monetary policy, we explored how keeping interest rates above growth rates can worsen debt dynamics and risk squeezing the structural investment needed for long-term growth. We also noted his argument that central banks should prioritise inflation control while keeping rates as low as possible consistent with price stability, because overly tight policy can raise the cost of capital and weigh on productivity and resilience.

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