The Government of Germany today announced a €15 million contribution through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) to support the joint work of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on the conservation and restoration of landscapes that are home to more than one fifth of the world’s species and face growing pressures from human activities and climate-related hazards.

The announcement was made during Bridging the Nature Finance Gap event, held on the margins of the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.

Astrid Couzian, Chief Operations Officer at UNCDF, speaking at Bridging the Nature Finance Gap event. Photo: UNDP.

Jointly hosted by UNDP, UNESCO, UNCDF, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), and the Government of Flanders, the event highlighted the urgent need for sustained finance in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

"Nature is our most vital asset, yet it remains chronically underfunded. Through the International Climate Initiative, Germany is pleased to support the Nature Investment Facility in helping unlock finance for the protection of some of the world’s most important landscapes. Working alongside our partners, we seek to demonstrate that safeguarding biodiversity and mobilizing investment are mutually reinforcing goals," said Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), Federal Republic of Germany.

"Protecting nature is essential for our shared prosperity and future. But no country, no institution, no sector can halt and reverse biodiversity loss alone. Governments, the United Nations, philanthropy and the private sector must bring their strengths together, backed by finance at scale. Germany’s contribution through the International Climate Initiative will act as a catalyst, unlocking additional public and private finance for nature and turning investment into action on the ground. At a time when multilateralism is being tested, what matters is delivery," said UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo.

“For conservation to succeed, it must be a viable economic choice for local communities. This crucial €15 million from Germany allows the Nature Investment Facility to replicate its success at scale. It enables UNDP and UNCDF to expand on models like the Tiger Landscapes Investment Facility in Asia, and this funding will be pivotal in launching our Africa Living Landscapes initiative, unlocking private capital for small businesses that are on the front lines of protecting our planet’s biodiversity,” said UNCDF Executive Secretary Pradeep Kurukulasuriya.

“Protecting biodiversity requires ambition matched by investment. Germany's contribution to the Nature Investment Facility is an important step towards closing the nature finance gap and supporting the communities that steward some of the world's most valuable ecosystems. This partnership demonstrates how multilateral cooperation can turn global commitments into tangible action for people, nature and future generations,” said Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO.

To help halt and reverse biodiversity loss in some of the world’s most important landscapes, UNDP, UNESCO and UNCDF are working together through the Nature Investment Facility (NIF), with support from the Governments of Germany and Flanders and Cartier Philanthropy for People and Nature.

Established in 2023, the Nature Investment Facility (NIF) brings together grant funding and private investment to mobilize finance for the conservation and restoration of critical landscapes. Through blended finance approaches, the Facility seeks to reduce investment risks and increase the flow of capital towards nature-positive enterprises.

The €15 million contribution from the Government of Germany will support the launch of NIF’s Africa Living Landscapes programme and scale up the Facility’s initial investment in the Tiger Landscapes Investment Facility. The two programmes will mobilize investment in nature-positive enterprises operating in critical biodiversity landscapes across Africa and South-East Asia, respectively.