World’s Largest Nature-Finance Summit Opens in Chile

The world’s largest-ever gathering on nature-finance opened Tuesday in Chile. The event brings together over 130 countries to advance global biodiversity goals and unlock sustainable funding for conservation. The 6 Global Conference on Biodiversity Finance, organized by UNDP’s BIOFIN initiative, drew senior officials from environment and finance ministries to explore innovations like nature bonds, fintech, and repurposed subsidies. With 92 countries launching national Biodiversity Finance Plans, the event signaled strong momentum behind the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, following COP16 earlier this year. The focus is mobilizing public and private finance, empowering Indigenous communities, and addressing a US$700 billion annual funding gap to protect nature. Since 2018, UNDP’s BIOFIN has helped catalyze over US$1.6 billion for nature, proving that strategic investments can unlock large-scale biodiversity funding.