Over the course of two days, 60+ speakers will shed light on why ESG matters for the Caribbean, and who and what is driving the market. Blending insight with interaction, the CaribESG agenda offers up a rich array of panel discussions, case studies, live polling sessions, interviews and presentations – as well as unique networking opportunities.
Also on the table? An invitation-only CEO ESG Council
The key pillars shaping the 2022 agenda include:
Part I: Making the case for ESG in the Caribbean
What needs to happen to definitively make the case for ESG in the Caribbean? Who is driving the agenda?
Has good ESG translated into a more competitive company?
Part II: Financing & Markets
Are climate bonds the optimal solution to address climate risk in the context of national economies?
What are regional and international investors and financiers needing to see in terms of standards and reporting
What material impact will new ESG standards have on Caribbean companies?
Spotlight: Williams Capital’s green bond and Belize’s blue bond – what can we learn, and are theyreplicable and scalable across the Caribbean?
Should the Caribbean launch a carbon market?
How will new international trade standards and carbon taxes impact Caribbean business?
Part III: ESG & Impact Investment
What can countries and companies do to mitigate the environmental implications of oil and gas?
Can resorts market ESG practices to generate increased revenue from travelers?
Can we scale up regional agriculture, increase agricultural bankability and attract impact investment to the sector?
How can social initiatives drive investment?
Part IV: Getting it right – Implementation
What would structuring and launching a regional ESG taxonomy look like and how would it benefit corporates, banks and investors?
How can blockchain facilitate good ESG and make Caribbean companies more competitive?
Republic Bank Limited Senior Manager – Group Sustainability
The Regional Leadership Session: Can Sustainable and Climate Finance Re-Shape Caribbean Economies?
Panel discussion
Regional leaders take the stage to explore, post-COP 27, how climate finance and good ESG can bolster national balance sheets and help economies adapt through a period of seismic change.
Is climate finance flowing in a meaningful and sustainable way to Caribbean economies? What’s working and what needs to change?
What can and should governments be doing to support good ESG in the private sector?
Are the multilateral development banks doing enough to support climate finance issuance and debt management strategies?
Are regional National Development Plans successfully aligning with Sustainable Development Goals
With the dust now settling from COP 27, what was achieved from the perspective of small island states?
The Rise of Small Island Economies: Beyond Net Zero, Attracting Private Capital
Presentation
Small Island Economies (SIEs), including Caribbean nations, are on the front line of climate change. Most SIEs have policies in place for sustainable development and many are taking innovative approaches to climate change. However, SIEs do not currently feature in the investment portfolios of global capital market players despite growth in climate investing more broadly. This presentation will seek to answer the following:
Why are SIEs yet to feature on many global investors’ net zero investing journey?
What are the attitudes of capital market players on investing in SIEs to achieve their investment goals as part of their broader net zero strategy?
What factors are currently constraining capital market players from investing in SIEs?
What do the capital markets see as key areas of net zero related investment opportunities in SIEs?
What should individual SIEs aspire to do to enhance their appeal as attractive destinations for global capital market players?
Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Planning and Development, Member of Parliament for Arima
The ESG Trailblazers: Corporate First Movers
Panel discussion
The argument is that robust ESG increases growth, optimizes investment and capital expenditures, minimizes regulatory and legal interventions, and increases employee productivity. The case is strong, but implementation can be challenging – and expensive. A handful of Caribbean CEOs have taken the leap.
Has good ESG translated into a more competitive company? How? What are the bottom-line impacts?
Where did they start and did they draw on external resources e.g., investors, consultancies?
Has a commitment to good ESG changed the relationship with the lending and investment community? How?
What support has come from governments and regulators?
Where are the pitfalls, what are the lessons learned?
Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator UNFCCC Global Ambassador & Chief Executive Officer Moderator
The Investor Session: A Generational Shift in Approach?
Panel discussion
ESG is mainstreaming in the investment community and the implications are significant. What are regional and international investors and financiers needing to see in terms of standards and reporting? And what is coming down the pike? Ultimately are investors and lenders simply keen to deploy capital, irrespective of the ESG? Is greenwashing a genuine concern?
Are gender and social issues coming to the fore?
Are governance concerns real? Are company boards ready?
Understanding how climate change impacts company risk profiles, and approaches and tools to de-risk
What does the future hold and what guidance would equity investors provide?
How important is a benchmark standards and reporting system?
What types of opportunities are impact investors looking for in the food/agricultural market
How can the region increase food security through impact investment?
How can good ESG drive investment into the tourism industry? What examples can we cite of good ESG translating into funding/investment?
What role can blended finance play in catalyzing ESG investment in the Caribbean?
Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator Finance Innovation Director Moderator
Lunch
The New Drivers of Investment: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Panel discussion
The new reality is that investing in social initiatives will ultimately show a return.
How can social initiatives drive investment?
Where are the gaps in the current financial markets and its institutions in the Caribbean that need to be addressed to move forward towards these opportunities?
Approaches to the creation of gender-driven investment portfolios
Will avoidance eventually have negative repercussions?
Which companies in the Caribbean are leading the charge and what can we learn?
Can blended finance support the growth of DEI investment?
Dentons Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead | Senior AssociateModerator
Why do Carbon Markets Matter for the Caribbean?
Presentation & Panel Discussion
How can regional governments and the private sector benefit through active participation in the carbon markets?
Carbon markets are booming due to rising demand globally for carbon offsets generated from nature-based solutions (NBS). What do Caribbean leaders need to know?
What are examples of successful nature-based solutions?
Who would benefit most from a regional carbon market? How and why? What material impact would it have on the private sector?
Should the region make a push for blue carbon credits? What would that look like?
What steps have the Bahamas taken to sell blue carbon credits in a voluntary market? How is pricing determined?
Deloitte Consulting Energy and Climate SpecialistModerator
Sovereign Financing Spotlight: Barbados Blue Sustainable Financing
Case-study & Discussion
In what Prime Minister Mia Mottley has described as a game-changing transaction, Barbados recently announced a $150m “blue” sustainable financing. The deal will free up about US$50 million in the next 15 years by buying back a portion of expensive long-term debt, to be replaced with lower-cost debt with repayment guarantees from TNC and IDB. The money will be used to protect up to 30% of its coastal waters. Gathering the deal protagonists, this session will explore what went into the deal, its success criteria, and if and how we can replicate the model across the region.
Join us for an introductory sensitization session on Gender-Lens Investing (GLI) in the Caribbean. We will discuss the business case for GLI, the Caribbean context, and the main frameworks such as the Women’s Empowerment Principles and the 2XChallenge criteria. Led by UN Women, FinDev Canada and Portland Private Equity, this training is for those interested in GLI and those open to understanding what the investment community is moving towards.
The Lender Session: Are Caribbean banks driving – and demanding – good ESG?
Panel discussion
The Caribbean banking sector is changing the way it transacts and does business. Ultimately, borrowers will need to comply with a new set of lending standards. What material impact will new ESG standards have on Caribbean companies?
Is this a burden or an opportunity for borrowers? What is the timeframe?
Are banks supporting the client transition to good ESG?
How can good ESG make a project more bankable?
What examples do we have of ESG project lending success stories?
Can and should banks support social and gender equity among their clients?
What targets have been established – e.g. Republic’s net zero lending commitment – by regional banks? What progress has been made and how has it impacted the client base?
IDB Invest Principal Officer - Financial InstitutionsModerator
Climate Risk Stress Testing: What Regional Players Need to Know Now
Presentation
As the effects of climate change become increasingly pronounced, financial institutions are facing mounting pressure from regulators, stakeholders, and those charged with governance to adequately measure and disclose their climate risks. This presentation will focus on the changing regulatory environment globally, lessons learned from other regions, and practical next steps for Caribbean banks and insurers as they embark on embedding climate-related exposure into their existing risk management frameworks.
New Frontier: ESG & Capital-Raising for Caribbean Corporates
Panel discussion
What do Caribbean companies need to know about current and emerging opportunities to translate good ESG into access to capital and increased valuations?
What does a cutting edge, ESG-driven approach to debt and equity financing look like?
What opportunities – and barriers – exist for Caribbean corporates in the green/sustainability-linked bond space? How challenging are reporting requirements?
What role are the stock exchanges playing in promoting good ESG and what are the implications/opportunities for listed companies?
How does – and will – ESG factor into M&A for Caribbean companies?
How are the development banks supporting the market
Invitation-only gathering of Caribbean CEOs designed to foster knowledge-sharing and create esprit de corps among regional leadership driving the ESG agenda. All invited CEOs will be provided with a complimentary registration to both the meeting and the conference.
Club will convene annually and will be sustained via 2-3 webinars occurring over the course of the year.
