Strengthening Public Financial Institutions
Strengthen key policies and governance elements in strategically-important institutions in order to promote financing for sustainable activities and discourage financing for unsustainable ones.
Multilateral and national public financial institutions remain major providers of finance for sustainable, climate-compatible activities. These institutions’ investments and knowledge will be critical for meeting the climate and other sustainability challenges, as well as to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The institutions include the multilateral development banks (MDBs); specialized funds such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Adaptation Fund, and the Climate Investment Funds; and national development banks under the umbrella of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC).
The Finance Center seeks to strengthen key policies and governance elements in a small set of strategically-important institutions in order to promote financing for sustainable activities and discourage financing for unsustainable ones. We rely on our deep knowledge of these institutions, the UNFCCC finance negotiations, and of the climate finance architecture; on our convening power; and on our in-house sectoral expertise to produce timely research products to inform key decisions. While our efforts apply to a broad range of financial institutions, our focus is primarily on:
- MDB policies, practices, and governance
- Policies, practices, and governance of specialized climate funds, especially the GCF
- UNFCCC finance negotiations
- IDFC analytical and strategic activities
Development banks play a central role in helping to fund activities in developing countries that support sustainable, climate resilient, and low-carbon development. By analyzing their investment portfolios and identifying opportunities for change, we help enable these banks to shift their investments toward sustainable and climate compatible development. We cover the work of the World Bank Group, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the New Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Our engagement with the MDBs consists of timely analysis, convening of key stakeholders, and direct engagement with the banks. We focus this work on:
- Enhancing the quality and quantity of the development banks’ dedicated climate finance;
- Ensuring alignment of the banks’ overall investment portfolios with global climate adaptation and mitigation goals; and
- Promoting bank policies and practices that protect vulnerable people and ecosystems.