DAY 2 - WEDNESDAY JUNE 26

Private sector can play a crucial role in achieving conservation and sustainability objectives in Central Africa. There is a theoretical potential to scale up commercial investment in tropical commodity supply chains while making them deforestation-free and socially inclusive at a landscape level. However, at present there are limited flows of finance for forest and land use mitigation in Central Africa. This session will explore opportunities and challenges in the intersection of sustainable investments and environmental conservation, focusing on sectors like agriculture and forestry. 

Session organizer: Central African Forest Initiative
Confirmed speakers:
HE Eve Bazaiba, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, DR Congo, Danièle Remanda, Carbon and Sustainability Manager, ARISE IIP, Michael Schlup, Chief Sustainability Officer, SAIL Investments, Samuel Donatien Nengue, Director, Fonds de Développements des Filières Cacao et Café, Juan Carlos Mendoza Casadiegos, Director of Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Symphorien Azantsa, Forest Governance Facilitator, Palladium International Ltd, Maggie Charnley, Head of International Forest Unit, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, United Kingdom

Interpretation to French

Deforestation levels tend to be lower on indigenous people’s lands compared to most other land categories, even compared to national parks and other conservation units in some regions. These invaluable contributions by indigenous peoples to conserving biodiversity and avoiding emissions from deforestation are recognized by the global biodiversity and climate frameworks, yet there is still a way to go for it to be properly supported in policy and implemented in many rainforest countries. In this session we will discuss the challenges and opportunities for official recognition of indigenous territories in four rainforest countries, and the role indigenous governance and stewardship of traditional lands play in achieving national biodiversity and climate targets.

Session organizer: Global Alliance of Territorial Communities and Rainforest Foundation Norway
Confirmed speakers:
HE Dr. Eloy Terena, Acting Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Brazil, Alana Manchineri, General Communications Manager, COIAB, Nicky Kinguina Ineet, Head of Biodiversity Division, Ministere de l'Environment e development DURA, Jorge Perez Rubio, President, AIDESEP, Casey Box, Director of Global Strategy, The Christensen Fund, Juan Carlos Jintiach, Executive Secretary, GATC, Oswaldo Marcial Muca Castizo, President, OPIAC, Kleber Karipuna, Executive Coordinator, APIB &  co-chair GATC, Patrick Saidi Hemedi, National Coordinator, Dynamique de Groupes de Peuples Autochtones, Tørris Jæger, Executive Director, RFN, Maria Amelia Trigoso Barentzen, Directora de la Dirección de Pueblos en situación de Aislamiento y Contacto Inicial, Ministerio de Cultura, Beatriz Huertas, Special Adviser, RFN

Interpretation to French, Portuguese and Spanish

The ecosystem services of nature – pollination, water purification, flood protection and carbon sequestration – have an estimated value of US$125 – $140 trillion annually - nearly one-and-a-half times greater than the global economy. That these services are not currently given a clear financial value, constitutes a massive failure of current financial markets and economic systems. To halt the ongoing nature and biodiversity collapse, we must fundamentally rethink our relationship with nature and transform current economic models and finance systems. This session sets out to tap into what these fundamental changes may entail.

Session organizer: NICFI
Confirmed speakers:
Pavan Sukhdev, CEO and Founder, GIST Impact, Emine Isciel, Head of Climate and Environment, Storebrand Asset Management, Danielle Carreira, Head of Finance Sector Engagement, Tropical Forest Alliance/World Economic Forum, Anahita Yousefi, Executive Director, Harvest, Eivind Fliflet, Head of Environmental Team Active Ownership, Norges Bank Investment Management, Nabil Kadri, Deputy Managing Director, BNDES, Brazil

Interpretation to Portuguese and Spanish

This session will focus on the interlinkages between deforestation and the illegal economies in the Amazon, and how this affects governments’ policies for sustainable land use and reduced deforestation. Countries in the Amazon basin experience similar challenges and threats to their forests. Key experiences from Colombia will be shared and discussed with Ecuador. Representatives from governments and civil society will share their views on how the illegal economy and conflict drives deforestation, how it affects national plans and strategies to stop deforestation, and how to counteract the risk of displacing illegal activities – and deforestation - to neighboring countries.

Session organizer: NICFI
Confirmed speakers:
Sandra Valenzuela, Executive Director, WWF Colombia,  Candice Welsch, Regional Representative, UNODC, Carmen Josse, Executive Director, Fundacion EcoCiencia, Bram Ebus, Consultant Conflict & Environment, International Crisis Group/Amazon Underworld, Rodrigo Botero, director of Fundación para la Conservación y el Desarrollo Sostenible / Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS)

Interpretation to Spanish

Cattle production is the highest GHG emitting agricultural activity globally – a large part of which is caused by the clearing of land to create new pastureland. Historically, pasture expansion has been the main driver of deforestation and conversion in Brazil. This session will highlight the contextual factors surrounding the cattle sector in Brazil, while illustrating leadership examples to-date and illuminating the path forward. The discussion will focus on the cattle sector in Brazil, but key components have applications across the world where collective action is being undertaken to align production and protection agendas in tropical forest ecosystems, acknowledging that the two are interdependent

Session organizer: Tropical Forest Alliance
Confirmed speakers:
José Octavio Passos, Director Brazilian Amazon, The Nature Conservancy, Raoni Rajão, Director of Deforestation and Burning Control Policies, Ministry of Environment, Brazil, Leila Harfuch, Managing Partner, Agroicone, Fernando Sampaio, Sustainability Director, Brazilian Beef Exporters Association, Mauro O'de Almeida, State Secretary for Environment and Sustainability, Pará State Government, Jack Hurd, Executive Director TFA, WEF, Toby Gardner, Director, SEI and Trase, Maggie Charnley, Head of International Forest Unit, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, United Kingdom, Alice Gargano, Global Forest and Land Manager, Mars Global Petcare

Interpretation to Portuguese

This session will discuss how inclusive governance and financial mechanisms can be further developed and supported. Indigenous leaders, policy makers, philanthropy, and civil society organizations will be invited to reflect on how governance and finance can be more responsive to the forest stewardship provided by Indigenous peoples and local communities.

Session organizer: NICFI
Confirmed speakers:
Raquel Soto, Deputy Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources, Ministry of the Environment, Peru, Joan Carling, Director, IPRI, Francisca Oliveira de Lima Costa, Presidente do Comité Regional de Povos Indigena, Elaine Shajian Shawit, President, CORPI-SL, Solange Bandiaky Badji, President and Coordinator, Rights and Resources Initiative, Christopher Jordan, Latin America Director, Re:wild, Anton Willems, Executice Director, Profonape, Myrna Cunningham, Chair of Board of Directors, Pawanka Fund/The Tenure Facility, Torbjørn Gjefsen, Senior Forest Finance Advisor, RFN, Anthony Bebbington, International Program Director Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ford Foundation.

Interpretation to French, Portuguese and Spanish