Marine debt-for-nature swaps are gaining traction as a way for countries to turn portions of their national debt into long-term funding for ocean conservation. These deals have already unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars, putting debt finance at the crossroads of marine conservation and climate resilience. Still, these transactions face long-standing challenges.
Join Duke University and The New York Climate Exchange for an engaging event exploring how marine debt-for-nature swaps can deliver strong outcomes for ocean conservation, climate resilience, and coastal communities.
During a public panel, experts will dig into these challenges by examining several recent marine debt swaps they helped design. They’ll also look ahead, exploring how to improve future swaps and considering other innovative ways to mobilize private-sector finance for nature and climate goals.
This will be followed by a closed-door workshop bringing together practitioners, researchers, and funders. Picking up on the challenges raised in the panel, this interactive workshop will explore how the newly released Practice Standards for Debt Conversion Projects for Nature, Resilience, and People can help improve the design and implementation of debt-for-nature swaps and other debt conversion projects.
In small groups, workshop attendees will inform efforts to operationalize these guidelines for broader use:
Probing the relevance of the standards to the challenges identified in the panel,
Providing feedback on the standards and their application, and,
Identifying key research needs to strengthen the standards' use.
Moderated by: Mercy Berman DeMenno, Duke University
Speakers include:
Leah Carriere, The Nature Conservancy
Angelique Pouponneau, Alliance of Small Island States
Ramzi Issa, Enosis Capital
Due to space constraints, registration for the workshop will require approval from the organizers.
Aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment and with Climate Week NYC’s themes of Finance, Nature, and Communities, this workshop contributes to global goals under SDG 14 and the 30x30 target.