Public Development Banks and Biodiversity: How can PDBs align with the post-2020 Global BioDiversity Framework

The issue currently features high on the agenda of crucial international negotiations on climate, sustainable development and biodiversity, including the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Discussions on the framework highlight that a coherent and concerted approach across the whole of society will be essential if we are to achieve global goals for nature. Mainstreaming biodiversity within economic decision-making remains an urgent priority: while this was central to Aichi Biodiversity Target n°2 in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, this Target was far from being met. Public Development Banks have a unique role to play in shifting financial flows towards sustainability. PDBs themselves provide finance of around $ 2.3 trillion annually, a significant component (10%) of all yearly private and public financing. But PDBs also have much greater influence than this share would suggest. This document summarizes the key findings and recommendations from a study carried out between September 2020 and February 2021.