LONDON: A top-level meeting in Paris next month will lay out a $100 billion plan to drive more money into climate and development finance in poorer countries by providing currency guarantees to investors, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The plan, which has not previously been reported, was sent to the world’s governments ahead of the “Summit for a New Global Financing Pact” in Paris in June as part of the Bridgetown Initiative spearheaded by Barbados leader Mia Mottley.
The idea, in a consultation document dated April 2023, would rely on the firepower of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other multilateral development banks (MDBs), and forms part of growing efforts to reform the international financial system.
It would see the IMF and other MDBs “cut the excessive macro-risk premia on developing countries with $100 billion per year of foreign exchange guarantees”, for financing in more volatile domestic currencies rather than the dollar or euro.
The guarantees would be for “just green transition investments”, which one source involved in the plans said could include “green” bonds focused on environmentally friendly projects as a well as others such as ocean-focused “blue” bonds.
A report released at the COP27 climate talks suggested developing countries would need $1 trillion a year in public and private money annually by 2030 to tackle global warming, yet to-date capital flows are just a fraction of what is needed. A report by the World Bank and other big multilateral lenders said they gave $51 billion in 2021 alongside $13 billion from private finance.
The Paris summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on June 22-23, will be attended by a number of world leaders and representatives from flagship global institutions such as the IMF and United Nations.
Outlines of the proposals have been sent to the key groups preparing the discussions over the last couple of weeks. As well as the currency idea, the document also gives more detail on the main objectives of Version 2.0 of the Bridgetown Initiative, which has become a heavyweight voice over the last 18 months in global climate and sustainability discussions.
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