Four parallel sub-plenaries

World Bank

This sub-plenary will address the role of both public and private investments in increasing the sustainability of productive landscapes.

The subplenary will address how investments in areas such as sustainable supply chains, research and development, smallholder associations and integrated landscape management can support economic growth, poverty reduction and widespread shared prosperity while maintaining or restoring environmental services. In order to fund the transformation of landscape practices on a wide scale, it is essential that we find common ground between private interests, both large and small, and public goals, both national and international.

The sub-plenary will discuss emerging business models that seek to align profitability with social and environmental sustainability such as: the zero deforestation targets of commodity roundtables, environmental profit and loss accounting, and investments that treat rights-holders as co-investors rather than simple project beneficiaries. It will highlight the power of public sector action (regulatory reforms and enabling investments) to shift incentives and create the right conditions for more sustainable land-use investments. The participants will come from international organizations and the private sector as well as investment host countries.

Three key questions the panel will address:

1. What are the types of collaborative action between public, private and non-state actors that would help achieve social, environmental and economic benefits (“the triple bottom line”) from land-based investments;
2. What has changed in the operating environment that helps us to improve performance; e.g. has technological change (e.g. information technology and earth observations) or better data (wealth accounting, crowdsourcing) made it easier to design and implement our interventions for mutual benefit; and
3. What is the role of the investment climate; does the ultimate responsibility for positive overall impact lie with the private investors or public policy makers

Background reading

1. World Bank. 2012. Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development. Washington, DC.
2. Elson, D. 2012. Guide to Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry.  IIED, London.   (http://tfd.yale.edu/sites/default/files/a9r5930.pdf)
3. Dewees, P., Place, F., Scherr, S., and Buss, C.  2011.  Investing in Trees and Landscape Restoration in Africa.  PROFOR, Washington, D.C.  (http://www.profor.info/sites/profor.info/files/docs/Invest-Trees_Jan2012.pdf)

Speakers

• Peter Bakker

  President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

• Rachel Kyte

  Vice President of Sustainable Development at the World Bank

• Minister René Castro-Salazar

  Minister of Environment, Energy and Sea, Republic of Costa Rica  

• Agnes Kalibata

  Minister of Agriculture, Rwanda

Moderator

• Lindiwe Sibanda

  Chief Executive Officer, FANPRAN (Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network)