Callum Provan
Content Strategist
Opening on Sunday 17 September, some 400 sessions will take place across the city, with the main events hosted by Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly. Our experts will also be joining discussions and bilateral meetings - here's how to join.
An agenda-shaping season of climate policy events begins as we get set for New York Climate Week (NYCW) 2023. Discussions here will likely signpost many of the talking points to expect at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, which begins on 30 November.
Alongside the usual roster of business leaders, climate experts and diplomats, voices from indigenous communities also look to have more prominence in events this year. These communities are increasingly recognised as vital to protecting and preserving nature and biodiversity.
Our experts will also be in attendance across the week, presenting the latest research and joining discussions on some of IIGCC’s most important focus areas, both in public events and in private bilateral meetings.
The full event calendar is a vast mix of in-person and virtual events hosted by multiple organisations - this guide aims to highlight some of the most relevant and interesting sessions for IIGCC members.
Read on below to find out how you can join, whether in-person or virtually. Please note that all times listed are in US Eastern Standard Time (UTC-4).
Sunday 17 September 13:00-20:00 - Opening Ceremony
Presentations begin at 14:00 with a broad range of expert, corporate, and political dignitaries scheduled to present. This includes H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28. H.E. Al Mubarak plays a vital role in supporting the UAE COP28 President.
Other notable speakers include Jim Skea, newly appointed Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, co-founder of the Urban Ocean Lab, a US-based think tank focused on the future of coastal cities.
Find out more and register to watch virtually via the Climate Group website.
Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 September [all day]: The Hub Live
Registering for the opening ceremony will also enrol viewers to The Hub Live, a two-day series of events hosted by Climate Group which aims to ’showcase action’ and discuss ‘new frontiers in climate action’.
With 29 sessions on offer, investors might like to prioritise sessions such as ‘Financing the present: How to de-risk low carbon investments’ on Day 1, hosted by Silvia Pavoni, founder and editor of The Financial Times Sustainable Views with speakers Ben Rattenbury, Vice President of Sylvera (an organisation which aims to improve data for voluntary carbon markets) and Charlie Donovan, Senior Economic Advisor at Impax Investment Management.
Other sessions focus on sectors such as real estate and steel, important focus areas for many IIGCC members.
Monday 18 September 09:15-10:45: Unlocking the catalytic potential of private finance to accelerate delivery of a net zero and nature positive future.
This event aims to bring together key stakeholders from the finance sector to discuss mechanisms that can scale private capital in line with the Paris Agreement and Global Biodiversity Framework.
Mary Schapiro, GFANZ Vice Chair and Head, joins the High Level Champions for COP27 and COP28 as well as experts from Nia Tero, a non-profit focused on supporting Indigenous Peoples; the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; and the Center for Global Commons, a research arm of The University of Tokyo.
A number of IIGCC staff will attend this event in person. Unfortunately, pre-bookings have reached capacity, but there will be a limited number of spaces on the day. Find out more via Nature4Climate.
Tuesday 19 September 09:00 – 18:00: Sustainable Investment Forum
Stephanie Pfeifer, IIGCC's CEO will deliver a keynote at the eighth edition of the Sustainable Investment Forum North America, presented by Climate Action and the UN Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).
Throughout the day attendees can expect panels focused on topics including nature-based solutions and ‘biodiversity as an asset class’, mitigation and adaptation to systemic risks posed by physical climate risk, ESG data reliability and more.
Access the agenda and view details on how to register. IIGCC members will find an exclusive discount code in their Weekly Digest newsletter under the Events section, delivered 31 August, as well as a special rate for asset owners.
Tuesday 19 September 14:30 – 17:00: Nature positive for climate action round table
Norah Berk, IIGCC Senior Investor Strategies Programme Manager, joins a High Level Climate Champion and Race to Zero roundtable to discuss accelerating nature positive action, increasing connectivity, and nature target-setting and frameworks.
Norah leads IIGCC’s work on Nature Action 100, a global investor initiative that aims to mobilise investors to establish a common high-level agenda for engagements and a clear set of expectations to drive greater corporate ambition and action on nature and biodiversity loss.
See the full day’s programme and register for the event here.
Wednesday 20 September 09:15-10:45: Working together to end deforestation - the forest finance risk consortium
Norah also joins a panel the following day on deforestation risk, hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Experts will explore how to navigate climate-related due diligence regulations, existing tools to understand deforestation, and examples of financial institutions' efforts to eliminate agricultural commodity-driven deforestation from portfolios.
Norah will highlight how IIGCC is working to integrate nature and deforestation guidance into our Net Zero Investment Framework.
Find out more about the event, how to attend in person or where to register.
Thursday 21 September 08:30-11:00: Physical Climate Risk Assessment Methodology (PCRAM) stakeholders meeting
IIGCC and the Global Infrastructure Hub will present a PCRAM update. PCRAM highlights the importance of properly quantifying and integrating physical climate risk into infrastructure projects.
Earlier this year we announced that IIGCC will lead phase two of PCRAM, building on initial work conducted by members of the Coalition for Climate Resilience (CCRI). Developed collaboratively by engineering firms, investors, data providers and credit ratings agencies, phase 1.0 showed that by integrating resilience measures and physical climate risks into infrastructure project cashflow models;
- The increase in initial investment for resilience is less than anticipated, and;
- The benefits in future cashflows are substantial.
Thursday 21 September 09:00 – 17:00: World Biodiversity Summit
Hosted by World Climate Foundation, this event aims to facilitate public-private partnerships that address the urgent need for biodiversity restoration through nature-based solutions and nature-positive investments.
The event page, which features an opening quote from H.M. King Charles III of the United Kingdom, outlines an ambition to bridge the gap between climate and biodiversity agendas. this full-day event is free to attend virtually and is accepting requests to attend in person.
Monday 25 September 09:00-17:40: Natural Capital Investment Americas 2023 – Environmental Finance
Closing off IIGCC activity in New York, Norah will moderate a panel on ‘Nature Action 100 and the power of nature-based engagement initiatives’, with speakers Mary Beth Gallagher, Director of Engagement at Domini Impact Investments and Leslie Samuelrich, President at Green Century.
Expect to hear how the engagement effort is progressing, how corporates are responding, and what Nature Action 100 hopes to achieve relative to its Climate Action 100+ counterpart, along with the challenges this brings.
View the agenda here and find out how to register.
If you’d like to take part in our working groups and be the first to see insights and analysis, why not speak to our investor relations manager today to find out more about becoming a part of IIGCC.