Asia and the Pacific
icon-language

Inclusive Climate Finance Dialogue for a Resilient Asia-Pacific

Convener: UNDP and UNCDF

August 26, 2025
Banner for an event titled "Inclusive Climate Finance Dialogue," featuring dates and location.
Event Details

August 26, 2025 -
August 28, 2025

Pullman Hotel, Bangkok

Asia-Pacific is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions — home to 13 of the 30 most at-risk countries — and stands to lose a large share of GDP under a high emissions scenario unless action is accelerated. 

Climate finance is therefore essential: existing flows meet only a fraction of adaptation needs and the region faces a persistent finance gap that undermines resilience-building, inclusive development and the achievement of NDCs and NAPs. 

This Regional Dialogue brings together governments, financiers, development partners, philanthropy and local actors to surface practical financing pathways, align public and private resources, and scale locally led solutions that protect the most vulnerable.

Organized by the UNDP Climate Finance Network and UNCDF with support from the UK Government through the FCDO and the Swedish Government through Sida, the Dialogue aims to turn financing commitments into measurable, equitable action on the ground. 

    Key objectives
    • Strengthen collective leadership in climate finance by showcasing effective national and local practices, data insights, and governance models for more accountable and impactful climate financing.
    • Accelerate NDC and NAP implementation by exploring new financing pathways aligned with shifting regional priorities and global dynamics.
    • Promote inclusive and adaptive financing models by identifying innovative policies, mechanisms and instruments that expand access to under-represented groups and leverage alternate financing mechanisms.
    • Foster South-South collaboration through peer learning, co-creation, and regional partnerships to scale up climate finance solutions.

     

    Themes for discussion
    • Sustaining momentum in climate and development finance
      Exploring innovative strategies to mobilize and align financing with climate and development goals amid fiscal constraints and shifting priorities.
    • Enhancing inclusive climate budgeting and public financial management
      Strengthening climate-responsive budgeting and public financial systems to ensure resources reach vulnerable populations and support inclusive outcomes.
    • Aligning fiscal policies for inclusive climate transitions
      Integrating climate finance into national fiscal frameworks and aligning fiscal instruments with climate equity and policy agendas.
    • Scaling equitable adaptation finance and locally led solutions
      Addressing distributional inequities in adaptation finance and promoting mechanisms that empower local actors and integrate inclusive knowledge systems.
    • Leveraging financial instruments and unlocking private capital
      Creating enabling conditions for inclusive climate investment through innovative instruments, blended finance, and digital tools that support underserved groups.
    • Advancing transparency, data, and accountability
      Improving equity and impact verification through disaggregated data, open finance tracking, and inclusive monitoring systems.

     

    Over

    150

    participants

    contributing to the Dialogue

    More than

    20

    countries

    represented in the event

    Beyond

    40

    partners

    including governments, private sector, civil society, and more.

    Explore the agenda — download the PDF or click any day or session below to expand full session details, speakers and objectives.
     

    Download the agenda

     
      Day 1
        Session 1 — Opening Plenary: Sustaining Momentum on Climate & Development Finance

        Assess the changing finance landscape and agree practical steps to sustain and scale climate ambition across the Asia-Pacific region. List of speakers:

        • Moderator: Ms. Niam Collier-Smith, Resident Representative, UNDP Thailand. 

        • Mr. Amar Bhattacharya, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Brookings Institution

        • Ms. Amenah Pangandaman, Secretary, Department of Budget and Management, Government of Philippines

        • Mr. Kotaro Sueyoshi, Advisor to Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Mizuho Financial Group

        • Mr. Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Executive Secretary, UNCDF

        • Mr. Thomas Beloe, Director Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP

        A group of people sitting on chairs AI-generated content may be incorrect.

         

        Session 2 — Climate Finance Priorities & Pathways for Adaptation and Resilience

        Compare national realities, surface priority gaps and identify practical pathways to close the adaptation finance shortfall. Speakers list: 

        • Moderator: Mr. John Warburton, Head of Climate and Environment, Indo-Pacific Regional Department, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) 

        • Ms. Debra Sungi, Acting Managing Director, Climate Change and Development Authority of Papua New Guinea

        • Dr. Gary Theseira, Chair of Council, Climate Governance Malaysia

        • Mr. Naoki Uozawa, Program Officer, Adaptation Fund

        • Mr. Susheel Chandra Acharya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI), Government of Nepal

        Presentation: Climate Finance Priorities and Pathways for Adaptation and Resilience

        Session 3 — From Inputs to Impacts: Raising ambition through outcome-driven climate public finance management

        Launch the ECPFM findings and debate how climate-sensitive PFM can be retooled to deliver measurable NDC/NAP outcomes. Speakers include: 

        • Moderator: Mr. Vivek Misra, Regional Public Finance Management Expert, UNDP 

        • Dr. AKM Atiqul Haque, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh

        • Ms. Delphine Moretti, Senior Policy Analyst, OECD

        • Ms. Laura Doherty, Public Financial Management Advisor, IMF

        • Mr. Paul Steele & Shanaz Broermann, IIED

        • Mr. Ravneeth K. Dewan, Principal Climate Finance Officer, Ministry of Env & CC, Fiji

        Presentation: Effectiveness of public financial management (EPFM

        A blue and orange sign AI-generated content may be incorrect.

        Session 4 — Climate Budget Tagging: Key lessons and learnings

        Stocktake CBT reforms across Asia-Pacific, spotlight what has worked, identify constraints and outline steps to make tagging drive better spending and results. Speakers include: 

        • Moderator: Dr. Maliha Muzammil, Programme Specialist - Climate Change- UNDP Bangladesh

        • Ms. Amenah Pangandaman, Secretary, Department of Budget and Management, Philippines

        • Mr. Bejo Waluyo, Policy Analyst, Ministry of Finance, Indonesia

        • Mr. Dhundi Raj Dahal, Section Officer, Ministry of Finance, Nepal

        • Mr. Sione Tokai, Deputy CEO, Ministry of Finance, Tonga

        Presentation: Climate Budget Tagging in Nepal, Philippines, and Tonga

        A blue and white banner with text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

        Session 5 — Fiscal Levers for Climate Action: Aligning Public Finance to Unlock Investment and Manage Risk

        Explore fiscal and tax tools—from pricing to transfers—that mobilize resources equitably and reduce risk for climate investments. Speakers include: 

        • Moderator: Mr. Sudarshan Kasturirangan, Regional Tax Specialist, UNDP 

        • Mr. Juan Martin, Director & Senior Researcher, Gauss International Consulting

        • Ms. Maheshika Bandara, Assistant Director, Department of External Resources, Ministry of Finance, Sri Lanka

        • Mr. Nohman Ishtiaq, Public Finance Management Expert, UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub

        • Mr. Venugopal Mothkoor, Senior Specialist, NITI Aayog, India.

        Presentation: Modelling the economic impact of climate change

        A group of people sitting on a stage AI-generated content may be incorrect.

        Day 2
          Session 6 — Connecting the dots in public, private and philanthropy climate finance

          Map coordination gaps and highlight mechanisms that align incentives, share risk and blend capital across public, private and philanthropic actors.

          • Moderator: Mr. Chongguang Yu, Regional SDG Finance Advisor, UNDP

          • Ms. Akiko Yamamoto, Regional Lead, Environment and Energy – Asia & Pacific, UNDP

          • Mr. Dhruba Purkayastha, Advisor on Climate and Energy, Observer Research Foundation

          • Mr. John Narag, Director, Climate Finance Policy Group, Department of Finance of the Philippines

          • Mr. Kotaro Sueyoshi, Advisor to Group Chief Sustainability Officer (Sustainability and Impact), Mizuho Financial Group

          • Mr. Mohammad Jamal Uddin, Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank

          A blue and orange sign AI-generated content may be incorrect.

          Session 7 — Strengthening the enabling environment for climate finance and highlighting solutions to strengthen engagement of private sector

          Share regulatory, market and institutional reforms that create bankable pipelines and sustained private-sector engagement. Speakers include: 

          • Moderator: Karanraj Chaudri, Regional Specialist – Climate Finance & Private Sector

          • Mr. Joel Khaw, Specialist, Climate Finance Innovation Lab

          • Ms. Kavitha Menon, Director, Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA)

          • Ms. Maryam Abdul Nasir, Director General, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Maldives

          • Mr. Mervin Teo, Managing Director, Alternatives (Private Equity), Fullerton Fund Management

          • Mr. Ritesh Thakkar, Senior Advisor and Head of Asia Pacific, Convergence

          Presentations: Climate Finance Innovation Lab; Strategic framework for blended finance Convergence

          Session 8 — Innovative pathways for climate finance solutions

          Spotlight guarantees, green bonds, insurance and other instruments that expand finance for adaptation and resilience in emerging markets.

          • Moderator: Ms. Diyora Kabulova, Sustainable Finance Policy Expert, UNDP 

          • Ms. Alya Kausar Binti Shaharudin, Sustainability Director, MBSB Bank Malaysia

          • Mr. Kotaro Sueyoshi, Advisor to Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Mizuho Financial Group

          • Ms. Phanida Roidoung, Ph.D., Director of Public Infrastructure Project Financing Division, Ministry of Finance of Thailand

          • Mr. Ramesh Ghimire, Chief Executive Officer, the Deposit and Credit Guarantee Fund (DCGF), Nepal

          A blue and orange sign with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

          Session 9 — Marketplace Building bridges for climate finance solutions: peer-to-peer and partnerships

          This session deepens peer-to-peer partnerships — across countries, institutions, and sectors — as an approach to taking some steps from the workshop. By sharing knowledge, experiences, and innovations, peers can unlock new pathways for mobilizing resources, enhancing capacity, deepening social inclusion and impact and scaling solutions.

          Themes include: 

          Blue graphic outlining session topics on climate finance solutions.
          Conference attendees seated at round tables in a modern, well-lit venue.
          Session 10 — The Inclusion Dividend: Rethinking Risk, Return, and Resilience

          Inclusion is a strategic advantage. Investing in women—at the frontlines of climate adaptation—is just and smart economics. This session will explore how we can retool financial services and development strategies to improve access, reduce risks, and enhance resilience, followed by the launch of the Gender, Climate, and Inclusive Finance Collective (G-CLiC). Speakers include: 

          • Moderator: Ms. Mamta Kohli – Regional Gender, Social Inclusion and Adaptation Specialist 

          • Ms. Ajeng Rachmatika Dewi Andayani, Fundraising Strategy Specialist of the Indonesia Environment Fund (BPDLH)

          • Ms. Felichya Khan, Product Owner – Parametric Insurance, Tower Insurance, Fiji

          • Ms. Ragini Chaudhry, Senior Advisor, MicroSave Consulting (MSC)

          • Mr. Suman Chandra Saha, Deputy General Manager, Small and Medium Enterprises Foundation (SMEF), Established by the Government of Bangladesh.

          Presentations: The inclusion dividend; Gender and Climate Finance Collective

          A blue and orange sign with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

          A group of people sitting in chairs AI-generated content may be incorrect.

          Day 3
            Session 11 — Aligning Global Standards with Local Realities: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Climate Finance

            This session will examine the role of transparent data, evidence-based reporting, and disclosure standards in fostering trust between governments, investors, and citizens. Speakers include: 

            • Moderators: Ms. Cristina Gregorio, Regional Climate Finance Specialist, Climate Finance Network, UNDP & Mr. Maurice Wee, Coordinator & Analyst, Climate Finance Network, UNDP

            • Mr. Alex Metcalfe, Climate-related Disclosures Project, International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB)

            • Mr. Gopal Joshi, Team Lead at the Systems Unit of the Transparency Division, UNFCCC

            • Mr. Policarpo L. Silva Jr., Team Leader, Performance Audit of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), Commission on Audit, Philippines

            • Mr. Phubet Senbut, Parliamentary Budget Office Analyst, Thailand Parliament

            Presentations: Indonesia dashboard overview; Philippines dashboard overview; Introduction to IPSASB, UNFCCC on transparency

            Video: UNFCC "What is transparency?"

            A blue and orange sign with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

            Session 12 — From National Plans to Implementation: Channelling Climate Finance for Locally Led Adaptation Through Sub-National Governments

            The session will showcase effective solutions for integrating local adaptation plans into governance, planning and finance systems to accelerate climate action. Speakers include: 

            • Moderator: Ms. Nan Zhang, Programme Management Specialist, UNCDF 

            • Dr. Derek Gwali Futaiasi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening, Solomon Islands

            • Mr. Haliana, Regent of Wakatobi district, Indonesia

            • Mr. Md. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi, Secretary, Local Government Division, Government of Bangladesh

            • Mr. Suman Subedi, Under Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE), Nepal

            Presentation: Climate-resilient development in Indonesia

            Video: The Long Term Benefits of Locally led adaptation in Bhutan

            A blue and orange sign with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

            Session 13 — Using innovation and digital tools to enhance the effectiveness of climate finance

            Explore how digital public infrastructure, GIS, payment platforms and information tools can increase transparency, inclusion and direct flows to local actors — and the associated risks to manage. Speakers include: 

            • Moderator: Marat Murzabekov, UNDP

            • Ms. Joanne Decena, Deputy Director, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

            • Mr. Varad Pande, Partner, Boston Consulting Group

            • Ms. Zoe Victoria Tate, Technical Specialist, UN Capital Development Fund

            Presentation: Innovation in the Solomon Islands

            A blue and orange sign AI-generated content may be incorrect.

            Voices from the partners

            A large group of people posing together in a conference room with modern decor.
            Conference audience in formal attire, focused on a large screen displaying event details.
            A large conference room filled with attendees seated at tables, engaged in discussion.
            Three professionals attentively listen at a conference, seated with documents and water bottles.
            Panel discussion featuring five speakers, two displayed on a screen, in a modern conference setting.
            A speaker at a podium presents to an audience, with graphics displayed behind.

            Resources:

            A large group of people posing together in a conference room with modern decor.
            Event photos

            A collection of pictures of the three-day event.

            Access the pictures
            Three professionals attentively listen at a conference, seated with documents and water bottles.
            Press release

            Joint UNDP-UNCDF press release on the Dialogue.

            Press release
            Colorful logo for the Climate Finance Network with abstract shapes.
            Climate Finance Network

            The one-stop shop of the CFN project.

            Access the project page
            Banner promoting the Inclusive Climate Finance Dialogue in Bangkok, August 2023.
            Trello Board with communications assets

            Explore the ready-to-use assets, including social media posts and graphic material.

            Access the Trello Board
            Post event news release

            Key takeaways and next step

            Read more