Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a region with great potential to move towards transformative, sustainable and inclusive development, as it has one of the largest endowments of natural capital. LAC is home to the world's greatest biodiversity with almost 40% (WWF 2024). Ecosystems such as Amazon forests, Andean páramos, Caribbean coral reefs, among others, not only play an essential role in carbon absorption and water conservation, but also support the production of food, raw materials and key resources for the livelihoods of the region's population and economy. 

However, LAC is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, ecosystem loss, air, water and soil pollution. The region faces a number of environment-related challenges caused by rising temperatures, pollution and unsustainable practices. These phenomena have significant socioeconomic impacts, affecting livelihoods, food security, human health and development. In this context, UNDP through its Environment and Energy team has been supporting governments to help create a nexus between the nature, climate, waste and energy portfolios through different policy instruments that integrate development and seek greater resource mobilization to address the triple planetary crisis. From UNDP, green finance is seen as an opportunity to accelerate major national development priorities, recognizing that nature offers an opportunity to address multiple economic and social challenges.

Against this backdrop, this dialogue aims to generate a discussion on the current flows of finance for energy, climate, nature, as well as their impact on development and democracy. This dialogue seeks to foster a conversation with key players in the green finance ecosystem, including participants from different sectors such as public and private sector, financial sector, international cooperation and academia. It also hopes to highlight the opportunities that exist in the region for greater investment that can create multiple benefits for the planet, development and resilience.