Healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems are essential for climate resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable economies—yet they remain critically underfunded. Mobilising finance for blue nature-based solutions (NbS) is key to bridging this gap. PEM is currently finalising a mid-term review of two re-granting mechanisms managed by the IUCN Ocean Team that aim to unlock this potential. The Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF) supports the development of innovative, nature-based, and economically sustainable projects that generate clear ecosystem service benefits through diverse income streams and appropriate risk-return profiles. The Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund (BCAF) builds on BNCFF’s foundation, offering dedicated funding to support blue carbon restoration and conservation projects in developing countries —helping to pave the way for private sector finance. The MTR’s findings and recommendations will help fine-tune project management and early results, ensuring both mechanisms remain effective, adaptable, and well-aligned with their goals. The recommendations will also contribute to strengthening the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) system to facilitate impact-driven adaptive management. 📸: Blueyou – The Selva Shrimp project, Indonesia

In collaboration with the Evaluation Division of the European Investment Bank (EIB), PEM recently completed an evaluation of the EIB’s support for agriculture and the bioeconomy outside the EU between 2014 and 2023. The evaluation included detailed case studies conducted in Eswatini, Georgia, Malawi, Moldova, Morocco, Türkiye, and Zambia.The evaluation recommends the EIB to:1) Deepen collaboration with EU delegations, FAO, IFAD, and other partners;2) Ground its operations in comprehensive value chain analyses;3) Increase local currency financing to better support smaller, domestically focused businesses, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa;4) Integrate best practices and refine guidelines to strengthen climate action and adaptation, as well as environmental sustainability. The evaluation report is available here: https://lnkd.in/dChaBkJf 📸 Ivan Naletilić, Banana plantations, Eswatini

PEM recently finalised the formulation process of the Danish Energy Partnership Programme 2025-2029 with Brazil, India and Kenya. The programme will be presented in UPR today and is expected to start in early 2025.The partnership draws on Denmark’s 40 years of experience and expertise in the green transition and more than 10 years of the Danish Energy Agency’s experience in sharing best practices through government-to-government cooperation, currently with 25 partner countries. The programme is based on partner demand and peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges. The process included formulation missions to all three countries to confirm partner demand, discuss the details of the country-specific programmes and explore synergies with other initiatives.  Both the Danish Climate Act and the Danish Strategy for Development Cooperation point to the opportunities for Denmark to increase its international support to the largest greenhouse gas emitters and developing countries to raise their climate ambitions.

PEM is conducting a mid-term review of the UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment. The Centre focuses on advancing climate adaptation, sustainable nature management, and pollution reduction through improved water resources management. This review aims to: 1) Assess the progress and performance of the programme and the results achieved to date. 2) Provide actionable recommendations to guide the future direction of the programme. With its global, regional, and national partnerships, the Centre plays an important role in addressing water-related challenges for a more sustainable future. Photo: Astrid Høegh Jensen, Lake Volta, Ghana