Apr 03, 2024
GFCR REEF+ Community – Knowledge Exchange Sessions, Webinars & Events
Join a network of coral finance experts in collaborating and sharing knowledge through the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) REEF+ Community of Practice. REEF+ provides up-to-date learning resources, opportunities, and events to support the GFCR community.
The GFCR REEF+ Webinar Series and Practitioner Discussions foster connection and knowledge exchange among the GFCR community of coral reef finance practitioners. Webinars are open to the public, featuring a window into GFCR’s programmes and a wealth of knowledge from global partners. Practitioner Discussions are spaces for Convening Agents and implementing partners to hold thematic discussions on designing and implementing the GFCR programmes.
To stay in the loop on upcoming webinars, register to join the REEF+ community online.
UPCOMING SESSIONS
Marine Biodiversity Credits: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges – Webinar
Register here. | 18 September 2024, 08:00 ET / 14:00 CEST / 20:00 HKT
This joint webinar by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and Biodiversity Credits Alliance will explore the potential of marine biodiversity credits as a mechanism for financing coral reef conservation and restoration. Leading innovators will discuss how biodiversity credits can bring new funding to priority coral reef areas in collaboration with local communities. Don’t miss this conversation on early examples, challenges, concerns, and successes in the emerging biodiversity credits space.
PAST SESSIONS
GFCR Communications Tools & Best Practices – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recordings | 28 August 2024
This workshop provided a collaborative space for the GFCR UNGT and partner communications focal points to share best practices and build capacity on how to showcase the GFCR-supported programmes. Topics included the GFCR Communications Guideline & Toolkit, showcasing overall programmatic approach & case studies from solutions, positioning the programme as contribution to international targets, human interest stories, coral champions, media outreach best practices, and communications around GFCR capitalisation and UNOC3.
Launch of “Coral Reef Finance: Insights into the GFCR Investment Principles” – Webinar
Event Recording | 26 June 2024
At the core of the GFCR investment approach stand ten principles that guide our mission to protect and restore coral ecosystems. Following consultations with community members and development of case studies from within our programmes, GFCR is releasing comprehensive guidance to break down these principles into actionable strategies. Join coral investment experts to discuss how to use these principles to design and support reef-positive businesses, initiatives, and sustainable finance strategies following the GFCR approach.
GFCR Policies in Action – Gender, Risk, and Safeguards – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recording | 5 June 2024
This Practitioner Discussion will provide a workshop with GFCR programmes on three key GFCR policies: Gender, Safeguards, and Risk Management. The session will serve as a platform for practitioners to discuss the the rationale, objectives, and applications of each policy. The session will also provide an overview of requirements for Convening Agents regarding each policy, including processes and key tools and resources you may require.
Blended Finance for Blue & Green Transition in SIDS – Showcasing Global Fund for Coral Reefs Solutions – In-person event
30 May 2024
With 52% of its portfolio in SIDS and LDCs, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs is pioneering innovative approaches to sustainable blue & green transition with an emphasis on scaling up and replicating successful ocean-positive solutions. This side event will showcase GFCR-supported ‘reef-positive solutions’ that include businesses and initiatives that have a positive impact on coral reef health while providing sustainable benefits for local communities. Panelists will share practical experience of their reef-positive solutions, discuss challenges and opportunities in building a bankable pipeline of projects, and show how government support through policy action is crucial for success.
Blended Finance for Coral Reefs – Webinar
Event Summary | 8 May 2024
In this webinar on blended finance for coral reefs, GFCR and Convergence will provide an overview of how blended finance can bolster coral reef conservation. The session will cover the challenges and opportunities of blended finance, including an in-depth case study of blended finance within GFCR’s programmes. Don’t miss this chance to dive deep into the diverse finance approaches within blended finance.
Investing in Reef-Positive Businesses – In-person event
Event Summary | 16 April 2024
The event will spotlight businesses and initiatives that positively impact coral reef health while offering sustainable benefits to local communities. This session seeks to deliver insights from panelists across the Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, and Mesoamerican regions, offering invaluable lessons for Small Island Developing States and other coral nations. Discussion will span innovative blended finance models and sustainable finance strategies, underscoring the role of the GFCR Community of Practice in fostering a collaborative ecosystem for blue economy growth.
Introducing the GFCR M&E Platform: Getting Started with MERMAID – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recording | Connect with an Expert | 4 April 2024
This practitioner discussion provided a refresher on the GFCR M&E Toolkit and introduced the GFCR M&E platform, MERMAID. Participants learned the current features of the MERMAID platform, upcoming tools to support GFCR M&E, and upcoming webinars, in-person trainings, and workshops for knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Investing in Blue: Mobilizing Finance for Coral Reef-Positive Businesses – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recording | Connect with an Expert | 29 February 2024
This discussion on “Investing in Blue: Mobilizing Finance for Coral Reef-Positive Businesses” addressed the gap between existing investable opportunities and investor requirements, opening a discussion on strategies that GFCR practitioners could take to focus on the “missing middle” and accelerate the number of investor-ready opportunities. The recording features a presentation from Pegasus Capital Advisors.
Stepping up Investment in UNSECO World Heritage-listed Reefs – Webinar
Event Recording | Connect with an Expert | 8 February 2024
In the first REEF+ Community of Practice webinar “Stepping up Investment in UNESCO World Heritage-listed Reefs,” the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) and UNESCO shared insights into the current and possible applications of the partnership between the GFCR and UNESCO World Heritage. The webinar addressed how the UNESCO World Heritage Marine Programme supports World Heritage-listed reefs in developing countries and how to designate marine sites to the World Heritage list. A case study from Belize was featured as an example of how to leverage World Heritage status for conservation success.
Monitoring & Evaluation System Implementation – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recording | Connect with an Expert | 22 November 2023
This discussion prepared GFCR programmes to work with GFCR’s new monitoring & evaluation tools and served as a platform to discuss practitioners’ varied approaches to M&E. The session included a presentations from Wildlife Conservation Society on how the Fund will define its M&E Indicators, how practitioners can use the Toolkit, and what key takeaways GFCR practitioners have gained from how the programmes previously conducted M&E.
Identifying and Supporting Reef Positive Businesses – Practitioner Discussion
Event Recording | Connect with an Expert | 5 September 2023
The first GFCR REEF+ Practitioner Discussions on “Identifying and Supporting Reef Positive Businesses” unpacked opportunities and challenges encountered by GFCR practitioners when identifying and providing technical assistance to reef positive business models. As part of this, participants discussed best practices to identify reef-positive revenue-generating interventions, the role of Technical Assistance Facilities (TAF) in identifying and supporting reef-positive business models, major gaps in support or finance to target enterprises, and future pathways to share experience and knowledge. The two sessions featured presentations from MAR Fund, New Ventures, and Matanataki.
About the Global Fund for Coral Reefs
The Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) is a unique blended finance vehicle dedicated to coral reefs globally. Hosting both a Grant Fund and an Investment Fund, the GFCR is designed to bolster the resilience of coral reefs, associated marine ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend on them. In more than 20 coral nations, GFCR focuses on incubating and scaling solutions that address local drivers of ecosystem degradation, unlock conservation funding flows, and increase communities’ adaptive capacities. Supported enterprises and financial mechanisms include waste treatment and recycling facilities, coral reef insurance, sustainable aquaculture and agriculture, ecotourism enterprises, blue carbon credits, and sustainably financed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
With capitalization underway, by 2030, GFCR aims to support over 400 reef positive businesses and sustainable financial mechanisms; the resilience of over 20 million community members and 3 million hectares of coral reefs (representing 20% of the Coral Reef Breakthrough target); and the sustainable financing of 7.5 million hectares of MPAs. GFCR’s investments will aim to leverage $2-3 billion USD in public and private finance for the benefit of marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
The GFCR Coalition is a public-private partnership driven by Member States, UN Agencies, financial institutions, philanthropies, impact investors, and conservation organisations. The GFCR Coalition includes more than 20 coral nations, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Prince Albert II Monaco Foundation; Minderoo Foundation; ICONIQ Impact Ocean Co-Lab; the Governments of Germany, France, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom; the Green Climate Fund; Pegasus Capital Advisors; Builders Vision; Bloomberg Philanthropies; the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) and the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP).
Dive in #ForCoral at www.GlobalFundCoralReefs.org and join #GFCR communities on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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