Climate change will undermine sustainable development goals if not urgently addressed. While the importance of climate action cannot be overstated, we believe stopping there is hitting the target but missing the point. Discover our approach to climate action.
FMO has a strong focus on tackling the climate emergency. Climate change including increases in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have reduced food and water security, hindering efforts to meet the SDGs.
That is why we aim to maximize our impact on the SDGs by supporting sustainable and inclusive economic growth while being consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.
Stopping at the importance of climate is hitting the target but missing the point. This huge, almost insurmountable problem of climate action needs a huge almost incomprehensible amount of money. There FMO gives a concrete perspective: this money is already there. It sits with institutional investors who are also eager to unlock this capital--or liberate this money, so to speak--if they're handed the key.
We believe we hold that key, as clearly demonstrated in our recently-launched SDG Loan Fund which is mobilizing USD 1.1 bln towards the SDGs together with Allianz, Skandia, and the MacArthur foundation. As one of the largest blended finance funds on record, it demonstrates the power of catalytic capital to unlock investment towards climate action and climate equity.
As such, we're excited that the SDG Loan Fund will be highlighted on DEC1 on the main stage by the CEO of Allianz (just before Bill Gates will be on stage), so it will be an example resonating with many people already.
We know this: alone, we will by far not be able to source investments for all this money. Instead, our goal and aim is to see this financial construction to be widely followed, because it can unlock an enormous untapped potential of capital in a relatively simple way and achieve impact that would not otherwise be possible.
Put it this way: the money is there, the examples are there. All it requires is willingness and action.
Right before COP, we successfully launched our SDG Loan Fund together with Allianz and MacArthur. The importance of this blended finance structure for mobilizing institutional funds to advance the SDGs was stressed by the CEO of Allianz on the main COP28 stage on f the first day of COP. Furthemore, we were honored to have been recognized for our contribution to various innovative climate financial vehicles we've contributed to--highlighting our longstanding commitment to intensified climate action.
On 11 December, we hosted our event on Cocoa, Coffee and Tea at the EIB Benelux pavillion, with the focus on how the private sector could best support cliamte resilient and inclusive supply chains. The session brought together a very diverse range of experienced panelists, all offering different solutions to help assist with climate mitigation while also ensuring that smallholder farmers across these sectors are empowered to become more climate resilient.
 |
Michael Jongeneel, CEO | 30 November - 2 December |
 |
Carrie Walczak, Senior Sustainability Strategy Advisor | 1-6 December |
 |
Pieternel Boogaard, Director Agribusiness, Food & Water | 7-12 December |
 |
Rik Recourt, Senior Associate Agribusiness, Food, & Water | 10-12 December |
| Date/Time | Event | Location | FMO representative | Selected Partners (not exhaustive) |
| 2nd December 14:30 | Blended finance in MENA - Convergence Capital | Climate Finance Hub, Green Zone | Carrie Walczak | |
| 3rd December 15:30 | Pathways to financing, scaling and accelerating NDC ambitions in energy and food systems transformation | NDC Pavilion | Carrie Walczak | |
| 3rd December 19:30 | Transformative Pathways: Aligning Finance with the Paris Agreement Goals | EU Pavilion | Carrie Walczak | Coalition of Finance Minister, European Central Bank, World Bank |
| 4th December 10:30 | Building Climate Resilience for Women Entrepreneurs through Digital Innovation and Women Financial Empowerment, WSBI |
Land & Drought Resilience Pavilion, Blue Zone, Zone B7 (Thematic Arena Nature),
Building 87, 1st floor, Stand 205
|
Carrie Walczak | |
| 4th December 16:00 | Climate Finance Objectives, Strategies & Action Plans | IDFC Pavilion | Carrie Walczak | Proparco, DEG |
| 5th December 12:30 | Financing food and land use systems: where are we and how can we move forward? | COP28 Food Systems Pavilion | Carrie Walczak | |
| 6th December 11:30 | ICFA Climate Dragon’s Den | EIB/Benelux Pavilion | Carrie Walczak | |
| 6th December 14:30 | SNV Panel | Carrie Walczak | ||
| 9th December 14:00 | IFAD Panel: Barriers and Levers to Scaling up Nature-Based Solutions for People and Planet | Agrifood Pavilion | Pieternel Boogaard | Nature Conservancy, Alliance Biodiversity & CIAT, Knowledge Transfer Africa, Monre Vietnam, and others |
| 9th December 16:00 | UK Forestry Panel Discussion | Pieternel Boogaard | ||
| 10th December 11:00 | Building Resilient Food Systems | OPEC Fund Pavilion | Pieternel Boogaard | |
| 10th December 14:30 | ECDPM/COP Side Event: Leveraging investments and financing mechanisms for national food systems & climate coordinated plans in Africa | Africa Pavilion | Pieternel Boogaard | SNV, Rabobank, Global Alliance on Food, Eastern Africa Farmer Association, others |
| 11th December 9:30 | SNV Panel: Building local ecosystems conducive to public and private finance to support food systems adaptation | FSP Pavilion (ECDPM/SNV) | Pieternel Boogaard | ECDPM & others |
| 11th December 11:30 | FMO EVENT: Cocoa, Coffee and Tea | Developing inclusive Value Chains for Farmers and Climate with the private sector |
EIB Benelux Pavilion |
Pieternel Boogaard, Moderator Rik Recourt, Coordinator |
Martine Jansen (Rabobank), Andre van den Beld (ETG), Nam Pham (SNV), Biko Matara (KTDA) |
FMO's customer Genneia is one of Argentina’s leaders in renewable energy and as a true pioneer in the country, the company has also built the largest wind farms in Argentina.
MFF was established in 2021 by the United Kingdom government and FMO as a blended finance investment program to combat deforestation and other environmentally unsustainable land use practices contributing to global climate change.
Sembrar Sartawi is a privately owned Bolivia based MFI institution that focuses on the financing for rural and agricultural borrowers as well as urban microentrepreneurs in Bolivia. Discover how their "triangle business model" improves smallholder farmers' practices and builds climate resilience.