Part 2

09:10–09:20
(10 minutes) 

Opening of the Forum

Welcoming remarks.

Overview of the SCF Forum objectives and expected outcomes.

Welcoming remarks:

• SCF co-chairs
• Chao Feng, COP 31 Deputy Chief Negotiator, Australia 
• Sivendra Michael, Pacific Island Countries 
• H.E. Robert Borje, Vice Chairperson and Executive Director, Climate Change Commission, the Philippines

Moderator: Davi Bonavides (Brazil) and Isobel Bartholomew (UK), SCF Forum co-facilitators

09:20–09:40
(20 minutes)

Session 1: Scene-setting and framing the issues (plenary)

Professor Mark Howden, Vice Chair, Working Group II, IPCC (virtual)

 A science-based overview of water systems and the ocean, highlighting their interconnections as well as distinct characteristics, challenges, needs and gaps, within the context of climate change.  

Session 2: Climate finance for water systems and the ocean – trends and gaps (plenary) 

Overview of the current climate finance landscape as it relates to water systems and the ocean, highlighting recent trends in finance flows, persistent gaps and key challenges. The session aims to establish a shared understanding of water systems and the ocean within the climate finance landscape, and underscore their importance for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Panellists

• Video message by Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Leader of Climate & Energy, WWF 
  (Video recording)
  An overview of the current climate finance landscape for water systems and the ocean, including recent trends in finance flows, available data and evidence, needs and gaps and key challenges.
• Bapon Fakhruddin, Climate Investment Principal Green Climate Fund Secretariat  
  Insights from an international climate fund on scaling climate finance for water systems and the ocean, including emerging priorities, challenges and opportunities.
• Salome Taufa Tukuafu, Strategic Partnerships and Donor Relations Adviser, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
  Perspectives from bilateral and multilateral cooperation on access, partnerships and implementation for climate actions in water systems and the ocean.
• Martin Stadelmann, Principal Policy Advisor for Environmental Finance, Federal Office of the Environment, Switzerland 
  Perspectives from bilateral and multilateral cooperation on access, partnerships and implementation for climate actions in water systems and the ocean.

Q&A

11:00–13:00 
(120 minutes)

Session 3: Barriers affecting the flow of climate finance to water systems and the ocean — structural and systemic barriers

This session will assess the structural and systemic factors that constrain the scaling up of climate finance for water systems and the ocean. It will explore barriers across different levels of the finance landscape, including fiscal space and debt constraints, low financial returns and risk perceptions for adaptation-focused interventions, complexities associated with transboundary water resource management and challenges in translating policy priorities into project pipelines and finance-ready investments.

Format: Rotating “Focus Lab” modality

Under this modality, participants will engage in three parallel focus labs, with discussion leaders rotating across the groups through three 30-minute rounds to enable cumulative and interactive exchanges on all topics. The session will begin with brief ice-breaker introductions, and buffer time between rounds will facilitate transitions across the labs. Participants will be assigned to a focus lab with a view to ensuring balanced and interactive discussions across the groups, while also having the opportunity to engage with each discussion topic over the course of the session. Reflections and key takeaways can be shared during the closing wrap-up session of the day.

Focus Lab 1: Macro-fiscal and financial system constraints

This focus lab will explore structural macroeconomic and financial system factors that influence the quality, availability and accessibility of climate finance for water systems and the ocean.

Moderator: 
Shaila Mahmud, IIED Researcher and LDC Advisor

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Daniela Paz Duhart Vera, Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Chile

Focus Lab 2: Policy priorities and implementation

This focus lab will examine best practices and challenges related to translating policy priorities and planning frameworks into coordinated, finance-ready projects and programmes for climate action in water systems and the ocean.

Moderator:
Patriciah Roy Akullo, SCF Member

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:

Camilla Agnethe Borrevik, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway

Focus Lab 3: Investment and market barriers

This focus lab will explore systemic investment and market factors that affect the scale, quality, direction and effectiveness of climate finance flows for climate action in water systems and the ocean.

Moderator: 
Karima Oustadi, SCF Member

 Ice-breaker and rapporteur:

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:

Oksana Tkachenko, Founder/Principal Director, Lean Finance

14:30–16:30
(120 minutes)

Session 4: Enabling environments: governance and institutional systems for scaling climate finance

The session will explore how enabling environments at global, regional, national and subnational levels can create the institutional and governance systems necessary for scaling climate finance for water systems and the ocean. This session aims to examine how water systems and the ocean can be embedded within planning and policy frameworks, including nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans, and how institutional arrangements, regional and national coordination mechanisms and capacity-building efforts can influence the coherence and impact of climate finance flows.

Format: Rotating “Focus Lab” modality 
This session will follow the rotating “Focus Lab” modality described under Session 3.

Focus Lab 1: Global and regional enabling environments

This focus lab will discuss how global and regional cooperation, coordination mechanisms and institutional arrangements can support more coherent, accessible and effective climate finance flows for water systems and the ocean.

Moderator: 
Ian Overton, International Water Management Institute
 

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Abdiel Douglas, Ministry of Environment, Panama

Focus Lab 2: National governance and planning systems

This focus lab will explore how national planning processes, policy frameworks, taxonomies, role of finance ministries and institutional arrangements can help integrate water systems and the ocean into broader climate and development priorities and support the translation of those priorities into financing strategies and implementation efforts.

Moderator: 
Justine Coutu, SCF Member

Ice-breaker and rapporteur: 
Rawleston Moore, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Global Environment Facility

Focus Lab 3: Subnational and local implementation systems

This focus lab will examine the role of subnational and local institutions, coordination mechanisms and capacity-building efforts in supporting access to and delivery of climate finance for water systems and the ocean at the local level.

Moderator:
Kassim Gawusu-Toure, Executive Director, Greener Impact International, Ghana 

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Abigail Orengelns Cartillo Carmona, Director, General Directorate of Ecosystem Management and Conservation Policies, Venezuela (tbc)

16:45–17:30
(45 minutes)

Day 1 Wrap-up: Reflection and interactive dialogue (plenary)

This session will provide an opportunity to reflect on key messages and insights emerging from the discussions held during Day 1. The session will begin with a presentation on the outcomes and key messages from the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue:
Sivendra Michael, Co-Chair, The Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue.

Building on the reflections, participants will engage in an interactive exchange reflecting on practical experience, lessons learned and key insights emerging from Day 1 discussions.

08:00–08:45
(45 minutes)

Opening of Day 2: From barriers to delivery (Plenary)

Building on the discussions from Day 1, this panel discussion will provide a forward-looking introduction to Day 2 by highlighting practical experience, implementation perspectives and lessons learned relating to financing climate action in water systems and the ocean.

Opening speech: Benjamin Isaiah Mitchell,  youth representative from the Merriam and Mualgal peoples

Panellists

• Himerio Justin VII Gozon Garcia, Department of Finance, Philippines 
  National perspective on the importance of water systems and the ocean in the context of climate change and the economy, including their role in livelihoods, food security and sustainable development drawing on experience and insights from designing and implementing national climate plans.
• Miranda Amade Miguel, Head, Department of Climate Policy Analysis and Strategies, Ministry of Planning and Development, Mozambique  
  Practical insights from project development and preparation processes in translating priorities into implementable and finance-ready initiatives for water systems and the ocean in the context of climate action.
• Mohinesh Prasad, Head, Director, Green Finance Centre (Virtual)
  Experiences with delivery models and financial mechanism for strengthening access to and delivery of financing climate action in water systems and the ocean.

Q&A

08:45–10:00
(75 Minutes)

Session 5: Financial instruments and approaches for scaling climate finance for water systems and the ocean

The session will discuss a range of available financial instruments and innovative approaches, particularly public and private sources, blended and concessional finance that can support the scaling up of climate finance for water systems and the ocean.

Format: “Action Group” modality
Throughout the day, discussions will take place through two thematic action groups – Water systems and Ocean – anchored in practical case studies to support solution-oriented exchanges among participants. Participants will be invited to self-select into the action group most closely aligned with their interests and areas of expertise. Unlike Day 1, both discussion leaders and participants will remain within a single thematic action group throughout the session. Reflections and key takeaways can be shared during the closing wrap-up session of the day.

Action Group A: Climate action for water systems – Financial sources and instruments

Discussions will focus on financial instruments and approaches for climate action in the context of sustainable and climate-resilient water systems, including water and sanitation infrastructure, watershed and river basin management, flood resilience and nature-based approaches, as well as key considerations on access.

Moderator:  
Tony Slatyer, Climate and Water Policy Integration Adviser,UN Water

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Hashem Hamawi, Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia

Action Group B: Climate action for the Ocean – Financial sources and instruments

Discussions will focus on financial instruments and approaches for climate action in the context of sustainable coastal and marine ecosystem management, blue economy activities and climate-resilient coastal infrastructure, as well as key considerations on access.

Moderator: 
Shamini Selvaratnam, Director, International Climate and Clean Energy, Ocean Conservancy

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Stephanie Ockenden, Independent Researcher and Consultant

10:00–11:15 
(75 minutes)

Session 6: Solutions to address barriers for the provision and mobilization of finance and investments

Building on the structural and systemic barriers identified during Day 1 and the instruments discussed in Session 5, this session will explore how financial solutions, stakeholder engagement, partnership approaches and enabling conditions can be combined to respond to specific constraints affecting the provision and mobilization of climate finance for water systems and the ocean. Discussions will aim to identify common lessons and practical considerations for improving the effectiveness and scalability of financing approaches across different contexts, including through collaboration among relevant public, private and community stakeholders.

Format: “Action Group” modality 
This session will follow the modality described under Session 5.

Action Group A: Climate action for water systems - Solutions to address barriers

Discussions will explore practical solutions and available support for addressing implementation, institutional and investment barriers affecting climate finance for water systems. Discussions may also consider the role of partnerships, stakeholder engagement and coordination mechanisms in supporting the mobilization and delivery of finance. The Action Group will identify what makes solutions effective and what considerations are most relevant for accelerating implementation.

Moderator:
Juliet Willetts, Professor and Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Penelope Ann Mealy, Senior Economist, World Bank

Action Group B: Climate action for the Ocean - Matching solutions to barriers

Discussions will explore practical solutions and available support for addressing implementation, institutional and investment barriers affecting climate finance for the ocean. Discussions may also consider the role of partnerships, stakeholder engagement and coordination mechanisms in supporting the mobilization and delivery of finance. The Action Group will identify what makes solutions effective and what considerations are most relevant for accelerating implementation.

Moderator:
Melissa Walsh, Director, Blue Finance Innovation, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance

Ice-breaker and rapporteur: 
Érico Rial Pinto da Rocha, General Coordinator of Implementation Instruments, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil

Session 7: Delivery and access: reaching local actors and communities

Assess how climate finance for water systems and the ocean is delivered to, or not effectively reaching, local actors responsible for implementation, including cities, subnational governments, and frontline communities. The session will consider practical experiences and emerging models that improve the delivery, accessibility, inclusiveness and effectiveness of climate finance at the local level.

Format: “Action Group” modality 
This session will follow the modality described under Session 5.

Action Group A: Climate action for water systems – Delivery and access to climate finance at the local level

The climate action for water systems action group will identify institutional, financing and delivery approaches that support locally led implementation, including through sub-national and community-level delivery models and instruments, and direct access modalities.

Moderator:
Michai Robertson, Governance Specialist, Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage secretariat

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Raju Pandit, LDC Finance Group Coordinator, Nepal

Action Group B: Climate action for the Ocean – Delivery and access to climate finance at the local level

The climate action for the ocean action group will identify institutional, financing and delivery approaches that support locally led implementation, including through sub-national and community-level delivery models and instruments, and direct access modalities.

Moderator:
Diane Figueroa, Director for Innovative Finance, Asia-Pacific, Rare

Ice-breaker and rapporteur:
Babafemi Oyewole, CEO, Panafrican Farmers Organization

Session 8: Key Takeaways and recommendations (plenary)

This session will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on the key messages and recommendations emerging from the two days of Forum discussions for consideration by the Standing Committee on Finance. Through an interactive exchange, participants will consider cross‑cutting insights, practical opportunities for advancing action and issues that may warrant further consideration and action by the COP. 

Closing remarks: 

•    Emrah Söylemez (Türkiye) incoming COP 31 Presidency representative
•    Oliver Toohey (Australia) incoming COP 31 President of Negotiations representative

Lunch and networking session