"The 50 trillion dollar question: Closing the emerging markets’ capital gap", The Economist’s virtual event, 25 Nov 2020

Dr. Nasser Saidi joined a panel discussion titled “The 50 trillion dollar question: Closing the Emerging Markets’ Capital Gap”, organised by The Economist and supported by Standard Chartered, on 25th November 2020.
The topic overview is as follows:
The goal of ESG impact alongside financial returns is becoming the new default for investors. Today, the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investing represents more assets than it ever has. The flurry of social-bond issuing this year, far above 2019 levels, to underpin the covid-19 economic recovery, is also testament to this upward trend. The implications should be heralded across the board. Sustainable finance will underpin the world’s ability to meet the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. It is also key to international development, as emerging markets race against time to transition to low-carbon and climate resilient economies. For now though, sustainable investments tend to be skewed to the West. The irony is that if impact is the bottom line, then emerging markets – where the impact of every dollar is disproportionately greater – should be top of mind. There is a growing imperative to transfer a portion of the estimated 50 trillion dollars under asset management into sustainable projects in emerging markets, if we are to make an impact on decarbonising.

Watch the discussion below:



Role of Governments and Private Sector Players in accelerating Climate Finance in the Arab States, CEBC-UNDP webinar, 31 Aug 2020

Dr. Nasser Saidi offered the introductory remarks during the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) – UNDP Regional Hub (based in Amman, through its regional project “SDG-Climate Facility: Climate Action for Human Security”) webinar focusing on the Climate Finance for Resilience in the Arab States region.
The discussions focused on the role of climate finance – public and private – in enabling transformative climate action and to meet the SDGs in a region that is characterized by a diverse set of countries, from highly developed, high income countries, to those that are continuously at risk of falling into poverty traps as a result of ongoing conflict and crises. These discussions are expected to lead to the development of partnerships among different actors to facilitate private investment to address the climate-SDGs nexus in the Arab States region.
The objective of the webinar (recording below) is to understand the experiences of governments and private sector players in accelerating climate finance in the Arab States region, leading to resilient development and growth.



“Tackling the Climate Emergency with Climate Finance”, Emirates Environmental Group webinar, 28 Jul 2020

Dr. Nasser Saidi participated as a panelist in the webinar organised by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) on 28th of July – under the theme “Tackling the Climate Emergency with Climate Finance”. The panel discussion focused on the urgent need for increasing government and private spending on crucial sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, and climate change as well as open up a dialogue about the financial opportunities in the UAE that can be diverted towards combating climate change.
The panel discussion can be viewed below: