Finance & Funding Agenda

A discussion with our programming board and others to determine what are the main issues which require the support of finance and funding. From international development banks, INGOs and UN Agencies, we will uncover the main themes for the finance and funding thematic theatre.

Speakers:

More information soon

​​​​Advancing the climate agenda requires support from all sectors, including the financial sector. When considering climate finance, the Paris Agreement called for financial assistance from parties with more financial resources for those that are more vulnerable. Climate finance is needed for mitigation and large scale investments as these are required to significantly reduce emissions. 

Speakers:

• Mr Richard Dudley, CEO, Global broking Centre, AON

• Mr Ben Webster, Head of Secretariat, REAP

• Dr Nicola Ranger, Deputy Director, UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment

• Mr Simon Meldum, Innovative Finance, British Red Cross (moderator)

   

Diversity and inclusion are key trends for businesses across the globe, this must be further supported in humanitarian missions also. With projects such as microcredit demonstrating the impact of supporting women and girls’ empowerment we can aim to build strong societies. However, some issues are still withstanding, many refugees have no access to banks and other mainstream financial services, creating enormous hurdles to their self reliance and economic independence. 

Speakers:

• Ilda Kuleda, Country Director Mothers2Mothers, Mozambique

• Lisa Doughten, Chief, Resource Mobilization & Donor Relations, UN Women

• Ms Trisha de Borchgrave, Senior Advisor, Global Women Leaders Strategic Philanthropy (moderator)

• Ms Mariarosa Cutillo, Chief of the Strategic Partnerships Branch, Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, UNFPA

As we aim to build back better from COVID-19, a critical part of this is clearly vaccination. However, the international community must ensure that those left behind are at the forefront of efforts to distribute and finance vaccines, especially for least economically developed countries.     

Speakers:

• Ms Julie Monaco, Global Head of Public Sector, Citibank

• Mr Kenneth Lay, Chairman, Board of Directors, IFFIm

• WHO Foundation CEO

Development banks have a major role to play in the fight against climate change and other inequalities. Financing development and the transformation of national economies post COVID-19 is critical for the global reset dialogue, therefore development banks are only likely to increase in importance in the coming years. 

Speakers:

• Dr Nabil Ghalleb, Director, Economic Empowerment Department, IsDB

• Ms Camilla Otto, Director for Donor Co-Financing, EBRD

When a crisis hits, funding is needed to urgently address the needs of victims. However, it has been demonstrated that changing the paradigm to supporting crisis response initiatives and building resilience in all parts of a society can provide more effective responses to natural events. From providing liquidity for disaster affected governments to supporting bilateral responses, funding crisis management capacities and resilience is critical as we aim to build back better. 

Speakers:

• Ms Maarten van Aalyst, Director, Red Cross Climate Centre

• Mr Daniel Clarke, Centre for Disaster Protection

• Ms Medhin Fissha, Gender and Safeguards Specialist, Ministry of Finance, Ethiopia

As we aim to build back better from COVID-19, the issue of long term debt for developing countries was already prevalent, exacerbating already existing tensions with international financial institutions. COVID-19 has further rendered the repayment of these debts more difficult due to ongoing financial crises. Therefore, we should consider potential solutions from refinancing to potentially pardoning. 

Speakers:

• Mr James Roncile, Director, Ecorys

• Mr Marten Touw, Special Advisor, Innovative Finance

• Mr Colin Bruce, Special Envoy, Humanitarian and Development Affairs, ICRC

• Ms Karen Wilson, Founder, GV Partners

Given the current financing needs to implement the sustainable development goals, we need to recognise and raise awareness of the potential for Islamic Finance to substantially assist with the global goals. Islamic Finance has proven to be adaptable and effective when driving science, technology and innovation in development interventions. 

Speakers:

• Mr Mohammed Kroessin, Head of Islamic Finance, Islamic Relief Worldwide

• Ms Mona Hammami, Senior Director, Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi

• Ms Maya Marissa Malek, CEO, Amanie Advisors Global Office

• Ms Nyra Mahmood, CEO, Simply Sharia Human Capital (moderator)

INGOs and UN Agencies are increasingly supporting technological solutions for beneficiaries, from using digital currencies to confirm transactions to digital IDs to confirm the identities of individuals feeling from conflict and instability. With more than 80% of refugees worldwide residing in countries where a proof of identity is required to even get a mobile sim card or bank account, finding digital solutions to this problem can drastically improve the lives of beneficiaries. 

Speakers:

• Oscar Garcia, Founder and CEO, Uulala

• Simon Reed, Irisguard 

• Mr Chami Akmeemana, CEO, Convergence Tech

• Salama Bakhalah, Interim Treasurer, Loop.io

Cash transfers and vouchers can ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most. Vouchers provide access to pre-defined commodities or services, while cash transfers can enable beneficiaries to meet their basic needs. 

Speakers:

• David Peppiatt, Director, Humanitarian Cash Assistance, ‎British Red Cross

• Claire Durham, Humanitarian Logistics Association