At the 2025 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, Resilient Landscapes Luxembourg (RLL) convened a knowledge-sharing session on “Financing the Future: Unlocking Private Capital for a Thriving Planet.”
The session featured Luxembourg’s Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes, who highlighted the innovative approach and tangible results of RLL — an initiative advancing high-quality, scientifically grounded, and financially viable nature-based solutions.
Abu Dhabi, 9 October 2025 — The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), through its Resilient Landscapes program and with the support of the Government of Luxembourg, unveiled groundbreaking, science-driven solutions to accelerate investment in nature-based initiatives during a high-level session at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025.
The session, titled “Financing the Future: Unlocking Private Capital for a Thriving Planet,” explored strategies to address the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises by unlocking USD 4–5 trillion annually in private capital. While nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a triple win for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and human prosperity, perceived financial risks continue to limit large-scale investment.
Drawing on real-world projects across Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, and Rwanda, CIFOR-ICRAF and its partners showcased innovative approaches that create new investment opportunities, mitigate risk, and scale up sustainable finance mechanisms.
The session called on investors, policymakers, and practitioners to engage in shaping solutions, challenge conventional models, and contribute to a growing movement to mobilize private finance for nature.
