Nature‑based solutions (NBS) are increasingly recognized as essential for addressing climate and disaster risks, while also delivering multiple benefits for livelihoods, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Yet, despite growing interest and investment, NBS implementation at scale is often constrained by policy gaps, fragmented sector frameworks, and weak translation from national policy to local action.
Co-hosted by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this event convenes policymakers, development partners, and practitioners for a strategic discussion on policies to enable NBS upscaling for climate resilience and risk reduction. The event will launch GFDRR’s new publication, Unlocking Nature for Disaster Resilience, which provides practical guidance on how policies can enable, incentivize, and, where appropriate, require NBS across key sectors and different levels of governance. The event will also feature best practice examples from country case studies to showcase policy approaches that enable NBS in practice and the challenges encountered from policy design to implementation.
The session will conclude with a panel discussion with representatives from the World Bank, OECD, and partner countries to explore how policy ambition can be effectively translated into on-the-ground action to scale up NBS.
Agenda
Opening Remarks:
Ming Zhang, WBG Director, Cities, Subnational Finance, DRM, Tourism (KIUDR)
Kumi Kitamori, Deputy Director, Environment Directorate, OECD
Chair:
Niels B. Holm-Nielsen, Practice Manager, GFDRR, World Bank
Speakers:
- The Role of Policies in World Bank Operations: Oscar Ishizawa, Lead DRM Specialist, World Bank
- Key Highlights from the Policy Guide: Bianca Reichel, Consultant, World Bank
- Insights from Designing Policies to Enable NBS across OECD and Partner Countries: Catherine Gamper, Team Lead, Climate Change Adaptation, OECD
- Country Case Study Peru - Enabling NBS Through Climate and Sector Policies: Jesús Fernando Villegas Samanez, Director for Climate Change Adaptation and Desertification, Ministry of Environment (MINAM) & Craig M. Meisner, Senior Environmental Economist, World Bank
External Speakers Bio:
Kumi Kitamori, as Head of Green Growth & Global Relations Division from 2015-2022, oversaw the mainstreaming of green growth in the work of various policy committees of the OECD and in member and partner countries. This included a dedicated programme that promotes green growth policies, finance and investment in the Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) region. Prior to this, she worked in the OECD Environment Directorate on various issues including emissions trading and taxes, water pricing, climate change, biodiversity, health & environment, among others. She led a flagship project OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 published in 2012. During 2005-2006, she served as Advisor to the OECD Secretary-General.
Catherine Gamper is the Team Lead for Climate Change Adaptation at the OECD Environment Directorate, where she coordinates the OECD Task Force on Climate Change Adaptation and previously led OECD work on disaster risk prevention and resilience, with a focus on the economics and public finance dimensions of climate and disaster risks. She has also contributed to OECD work on regional development, public investment, and multi‑level governance. Before joining the OECD, Catherine worked at the World Bank as both a Disaster Risk Management Specialist for South Asia and a Governance Specialist, following an earlier academic role as an Assistant Professor at the University of Innsbruck. She holds a PhD in Political Economics, an MSc in Ecological Economics, and a Magister in International Business and Economic Studies, and is a regular contributor to OECD analyses on climate adaptation and resilience.
Jesús Fernando Villegas Samanez is the Acting Director for Climate Change Adaptation and Desertification at Peru’s Ministry of Environment, with over 20 years of experience in environmental and climate management, territorial governance, and disaster risk management. A geographer by training, he holds a master’s degree in public management and postgraduate studies in spatial planning, environmental management, and socio‑environmental conflict management. He has held senior technical and leadership positions in the Ministry of Environment and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and has advised regional and local governments on implementing public policies and environmental management instruments. Mr. Villegas contributed to the World Bank–cofinanced Program for Improving Environmental Quality Services and led the development of national guidelines for regional and local environmental management systems. By directing territorial diagnostics and zoning processes that resulted in national legislation on territorial demarcation, he has played a key role in strengthening Peru’s environmental and territorial governance.
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