On October 29, Plan Bleu hosted an online webinar dedicated to Mobilizing Finance for Coastal Adaptation in the Mediterranean. This was co-organized with our valuable partners from the Global Water Partnership – Med (GWP-Med) within the framework of the UNEP/MAP GEF MedProgramme’s Special Climate Change Fund Project and the EU Water and Environment Support (EU WES) Project.
The Mediterranean region is currently facing several climate adaptation challenges and a widening finance gap. Mobilizing finance and private sector participation are therefore essential to address these adaptation challenges. Thus, the webinar brought together key stakeholders from International Finance Institutions, banking, insurance, and the private sector to explore financing possibilities for coastal adaptation in the Mediterranean.
The webinar opened with insightful remarks from Dr. Robin Degron, Director of Plan Bleu, and Prof. Michael Scoullos, WES Project Team Leader.
Another session, facilitated by Vangelis Constantianos (GWP-Med) and Hans Friedrich (EU WES Project), featured valuable panel discussions on financial planning and private sector engagement. The panel included:
Panel 1 :
- Roberto Martin Hurtado, Senior Adviser, Union for the Mediterranean
- Amgad Almahdi, Regional Manager for MENA, Green Climate Fund
- Ali Rhouma, Project Officer, PRIMA Foundation
- Manuel Sapiano, CEO, Energy & Water Agency, Malta
- Sofia Kilifi, Director, Sustainability & Community, Coca-Cola Europe
Panel 2 :
- Olivia Becher, Climate Adaptation & Nature Finance, European Bank for Reconstruction & Development
- Chaima Soudani, Investment Manager, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Tunisia
- Arantxa Mencía Saeta, Director for Global Business Development, ALMAR Water Solutions
- Jennifer Bogs, Director for Global Sustainability, Crown Holdings
- Léa Glâtre, Manager, DIMFE (Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems) / Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco
- Joost Buurman, Royal Haskoning DHV
We were pleased to welcome Bojana Radović and Duška Ljiljanić from the Eco-Fund Montenegro, as well as Sarra Touzi (GWP-Med), who presented methodological guidelines for preparing financial plans for climate change adaptation in Mediterranean areas. Suzan Taha and Ger Bergkamp (EU WES Project) also delivered a presentation on private sector engagement for climate adaptation in the Mediterranean.
Additional key topics included cost-benefit analyses of selected coastal adaptation solutions in Morocco and Montenegro, presented by Cristina Ojeda and Anil Markandya, in collaboration with our colleagues Ivan Sekovski and Ante Ivčević from PAP/RAC, as well as methods for integrating climate risks into investment planning, presented by our consultants from Oceanogami, Catherine Jadot and Patricia Puig.
These efforts will contribute to the SCCF/WES Regional Roundtable in Athens on Private Sector Engagement in Coastal Adaptation Finance, scheduled for December 2-3.
We would like to thank our partners and esteemed speakers for their contributions and all participants for their active involvement. If you missed the webinar or would like to rewatch it, you can find the recording via this link.
