Unlocking the Power of Climate Financing – A UN Approach

Leading experts from the Climate & Clean Air Coalition and the Nigerian Ministry of Environment come together to discuss: How do we move away from handouts to developing countries, and leverage entrepreneurship to fight climate change?

The Paris Agreement opens up a major business opportunity to leverage financing for climate change mitigation. This session will contain presentations regarding what is being done on the ground to build women entrepreneurs fighting climate change in Nigeria, and what is being done within the United Nations system to promote sustainable development, climate change mitigation and adaptation.

SPEAKERS

Helena Molin Valdes
Head of the Secretariat, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), UNEP

Helena Molin Valdés heads up the Secretariat of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) since 2013. The Coalition, launched in 2012, works to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, methane, ozone and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs); the Secretariat is hosted by the UN Environment Programme in Paris. Helena is an experienced leader within the UN system. She was a senior executive with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, where she led work on city resilience, disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and climate change related topics. She was UNISDR’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean and worked with the Pan American Health Organization on hospital mitigation and disaster preparedness. Before joining the UN Helena was a practicing architect, planner, and head of a Swedish NGO based in Central America that worked on community based projects and appropriate technology development, including improved bricks production and cook stoves with the University of Lund.

Bahijjahtu Abubakar
Nigerian Ministry of Environment

Engr. (Mrs.) Bahijjahtu Hadiza Abubakar holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Engr. Abubakar is currently the National Coordinator of the Renewable Energy Programme of the Federal Ministry of Environment and is an avid advocate for the environment. She represents the Federal Ministry of Environment on several boards and her spirited concern for the earth has earned her national and international accolades. She is on the Board of Directors of Access to Renewable Rnergy (AtRE), a project funded by UNDP and the Bank of Industry, Nigeria. This project is meant to provide financing for Renewable Energy entrepreneurs and stimulate the sector for rapid growth. In July 2012, she was elected the Co-Chair for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants (Working Group and Steering Committee) . Part of her responsibilities at the CCAC is fashioning out policies that will help reduce the effects of black carbon, HFCs and methane emissions worldwide. She is particularly interested in ensuring maximum awareness on Short Lived Climate Pollutants( SLCPs) in Africa.