Geneva Forum to address mobilising finance for critical raw materials in Europe and Central Asia

Register here for the Regional Finance Forum in Geneva, Switzerland (17 October 2022)

The importance of regional cooperation to enhance the sustainable management and financing of critical raw materials (CRMs) – intrinsic to low carbon transitions – will be the focus of the fifth and final regional finance forum of 2022.

Taking place in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday 17 October, the finance forum will highlight both the opportunities and existing initiatives in climate finance in the context of the SDGs. 

Participants include private and public stakeholders from Europe and Central Asia. Confirmed speakers include Jean-François Gaillaud, representing the French Ministry of Economy, Edil Baisalov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Conrad Albrecht, Managing Director of the Eurasian Development Bank. The event is hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the forum is in partnership with the Egyptian Presidency of COP27 and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions.

As COP27 seeks to focus on implementation,  of equal prominence will be the need for a managed and equitable energy transition in the pursuit of green growth. In this context, the forum will discuss  development pathways and existing projects that protect natural resources and enhance the circularity of CRMs.

The forum aims to accelerate this progress by showcasing regional innovative and bankable climate finance projects. The forum will discuss how to unlock, channel and scale finance when the expected increase in demand for CRMs such as copper (40%), nickel and cobalt (60-70%) and lithium (90%) surges. Amongst the full programme, events include:

• Opening remarks, including Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of UNECE, Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27, Sameh Shoukry, COP27 President-Designate and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General.
• A panel discussing the momentum “Towards a Common Environmental Social and Governance Framework for Critical Raw Material Value Chains”
• A panel advancing “Public-private partnerships and Climate Finance Instruments – Opportunities to scale-up for Critical Raw Materials”

The regional forum in Geneva is the last of the five regional fora to be held following events in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2-4 August), Bangkok, Thailand (25 August), Santiago, Chile (31 August – 1 September) and Beirut, Lebanon (15 September). 

Read more in the concept note here.